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Columbia  (Mnit^etiS^ttp 
intl)fCitpoflfttjgark 

THE  LIBRARIES 


Bequest  of 

Frederic  Bancroft 

1860-1945 


BH'^^fH^S"  (S3LII]Mr^(D)Hro 


J'' ■.■lftc/i^U?i.r  Jjif-h.  y7/,7^V./-..-««tV.  ,*'J-/ 


•I 

I 


ll  THE 


LIFE  AND  WRITINGS 


OP 


DE  ¥ITT  CLINTON, 


BT 


WILLIAM  W.  CAMPBELL, 

AUTHOR  OF  "  BORDER  WARFARE  OF  NEW  YORK,  OR  ANNALS 


OF    TRYON    COUNTY." 

^  4 .—        ■ 

1 

■1       '      '            '      "    '                         ■    ■* 

■  ^' ■  Meqj  fork ::  :  • 

■1 

B  A  K  E  U    .i.N  D  .SCiR  J  B  N  E  R, 

■1 
1 

145    NASSAU    ST.,    AND    36    PARK    ROW. 

1849. 

Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1849,  by 
BAKER   &    SCRIBNER, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the 
Southern  District  of  New  York. 


« I.  ii  *  .)   •  • 


S.  W.  BENEDICT;  STEREofypfcR  and  P'rinter, 
201  William  street,  cor.  of  Frankfort. 


CONTENTS. 


Sketch  of  the  Family  of  Clinton. 

Col.  Charles  Clinton,     ......  ix 

Gen.  James  Clinton,           ....  xv 

De  Witt  Clinton, xxv 

Address  to  the  Alumni  of  Columbia  College,  1 

Internal  Improvements,     ......       21 

Private  Canal  Journal,  1810,      ....  27 

Schenectady,  30— Valley  of  the  Mohawk,  32— Gen. 
Herkimer,  42— Little  Falls,  42— Inland  Lock  Na- 
vigation Company,  45 — Utica,  49,  193 — Rome, 
53 — Fort  Stanwix,  54 — Oneida  Lake,  62 — Oswe- 
go, 76 — Geneva,  103 — Lyons,  105 — Canandaigua, 
109— Falls  of  the  Genesee,  112— Ridge  Road, 
114— Lewiston,  122— Fort  Niagara,  123— Nia- 
gara Falls,  127— Bufialo,  136— Batavia,  144— 
Ithaca,  158 — Auburn,  169 — Salina  Salt  Works, 
180. 

Address  before  the  New  York  Historical  Society 
ON  THE  Iroquois  or  Six  Nations,  .         .         .     205 

Speech  in   the    Senate  of  the   United   States  on 

THE  Mississippi  Question,  ....  265 

Address  before  the  American  Bible  Society,  .     297 


iv:  contents. 

Address    before   the    Free    School  Society  in  the 
City  of  New  York, 309 

Address    before   the   Phi   Beta    Kappa    Society  of 

Union  College,       .......     329 

Appendix — Indian  Speeches,    ,  ,         .  365-381 


-^■ 


Charles  A.  Clinton,  Esq.  : 

My  Dear  Sir — I  now  present  you  with  tliis  volume  of  your 
father's  writings,  containing,  also,  a  brief  Memoir  of  him,  and  a 
short  sketch  of  the  Family  of  Clinton.  I  regret  that  I  have  not 
the  time  and  the  talent  to  prepare  such  a  life  of  De  Witt  Clin- 
ton as  is  required,  and  which  is  due  to  his  great  abilities  and 
distinguished  public  services.  There  are  many  reasons  why  such 
a  work  would  be  to  me  a  labor  of  love.  During  the  long  public 
careers  of  George  Clinton  and  of  De  Witt  Clinton,  my  grand- 
father and  my  father  were  their  unwavering  personal  and  poli- 
tical friends.  The  active  agency  of  Gov.  George  Clinton  was 
greatly  instrumental  in  procuring  the  release  of  my  grandmother 
and  her  children  from  Indian  captivity  during  the  war  of  the 
revolution.  It  is  a  source  of  gratification  to  me,  that  we,  of  the 
third  generation,  have  for  many  years  been  on  terms  of  personal 
friendship.  The  lives  of  George  and  De  Witt  Clinton  are 
yet  to  be  written.  The  hand  of  time  has  already  removed  much 
of  the  rugged  surface  formed  by  the  party  politics  of  their  day. 
The  foundation  is  ready,  and  the  materials  are  at  hand,  and  the 
pen  of  the  faithful  and  impartial  biographer  will  yet  rear  noble 
monuments  to  their  memory. 

I  am,  very  truly,  your  friend, 

WILLIAM  W.  CAMPBELL. 
N^w  York,  March  30,  1849. 


New  York,  March  31,  1S49. 
My  Dear  Sir — 

I  cheerfully  consent  to  the  publication  of  the  writings  of  my 
father,  contained  in  the  present  volume.  It  is  probable  that  the 
public  may  feel  sufficient  interest  in  them  to  justify  the  issue  of 
other  volumes — in  which  event  I  will  furnish  all  the  facilities  in 
my  power.  I  think  it  preferable  to  supply  the  materials  for  his 
biography,  to  undertaking  the  work  myself,  as  I  might  be  liable 
to  the  imputation  of  partiality ;  and  when  the  ties  of  consan- 
guinity are  so  very  close,  the  charge  would  generally  seem  to  be 
justified. 

Jn  our  last  conversation,  you  made  several  inquiries,  which  I 
now  answer  as  concisely  as  possible.  In  reference  to  the  papers 
of  my  relative.  Gov.  George  Clinton,  I  will  merely  observe  that 
it  was  my  father's  intention  to  have  written  his  biography,  but 
he  was  unable  to  procure  the  materials  for  the  purpose,  as  the 
legal  representative  of  his  uncle  considered  them  too  valuable 
to  be  parted  with.  This  is  to  be  regretted,  as  Gov.  George 
Clinton  was  not  only  a  prominent  soldier  during  the  Revolu- 
tionary War,  but  occupied  distinguished  offices  in  civil  life  for 
many  years.  His  papers,  I  understand,  are  voluminous,  but  have 
never  been  accessible  to  my  father  or  myself. 

There  have  been  several  biographical  sketches  of  my  father, 
but  only  two  that  have  any  pretension  to  the  character  of  a  bio- 
graphy.    One,  an  elaborate  and  well-written  Memoir  by  that 


DE    WITT    CLINTON. 


Vll 


eminent  physician,  Dr.  David  Hosack,  and  a  small  volume  vi^rit- 
ten  by  my  friend,  Professor  Renwick,  of  Columbia  College,  for 
the  use  of  the  Common  Schools  of  this  State.  The  latter  is 
necessarily  very  brief  and  imperfect,  but  as  far  as  it  goes  is  cred- 
itable to  the  author. 

You  ask  which  is  the  best  portraiture  of  my  father  }     There 
have  been  several.     One  by  Col.  Trumbull ;  a  full  length,  by 
Catlin ;   one  by  Jarvis ;  and  others  by  distinguished  artists.     I 
must  not  omit  to  mention  an  admirable  miniature  by  Rogers, 
which  was  painted  several  years  before  his  death.     His  friends, 
however,  have   adopted   Ingham's  portrait  as  the  most  faithful. 
It  is  certainly  a  very  strong  resemblance,  although  the  expres- 
sion is  somewhat  stern.     The  original  is  in  the  possession  of  Mr. 
Philip  Hone,  of  this  city.     There  have  been  three  copies  of  it — 
one  by  Mr.  Ingham,  and  two  by  that  accomplished  artist,  the 
late  Mr.  Henry  Inman.     There  have  been  several  busts,  one  of 
which  is  in  the  Governor's  Room  in  the  City  Hall,  an  admi- 
rable work  of  art,  but  an  imperfect  resemblance.     One  has  re- 
cently been  made  for  a  gentleman  of  this  city  by  Launitz  & 
Frazee  ;  but  the  best  is  probably  by  Coffee.     The  original  me- 
dallion was  engraved  for  Dr.  Hosack's   Memoir.     There  was, 
also,  a  cast  taken  during  his  life  by  Browerre,  at  least  one  copy 
of  which  remains. 

The  Address  before  the  Alumni  of  Columbia  College,  contained 
in  this  volume,  is  now  printed  for  the  first  time.  You  will  ob- 
serve by  the  manuscript  that  it  is  written  currente  calamo,  and 
was  not  even  transcribed.     It  is  a  rou2:h  draft  without  revision 

o 

or  emendation.     I  had  some  doubts  in  reference  to  the  pub- 


VIU  DB    WITT    CLINTOPr. 

lication  of  the  Canal  Journal ;  but  upon  the  whole  thought  it 
sufficiently  curious  to  justify  me  in  giving  it  to  the  public.  It 
is  written  in  the  careless  and  familiar  manner  which  usually 
characterizes  a  diary.  It  is  curious,  as  presenting  a  picture  of 
Western  New  York,  in  1810 ;  and  will  probably  be  interesting 
to  the  inhabitants  of  the  particular  localities  described.  The 
contrast  between  the  almost  western  wilderness  of  New  York  in 
1810,  and  the  western  garden  of  New  York  in  1849,  is  a  strik- 
ing commentary  on  the  utility  of  the  system  of  Internal  Improve- 
ments, which  this  State  has  so  successfully  adopted.  Probably 
there  is  no  district  of  country  in  the  whole  United  States  which 
presents  so  pleasing  a  picture  of  prosperity  and  happiness,  ac- 
complished by  the  sagacity  of  the  few  and  the  enterprise  and 
intelligence  of  the  whole  community. 

Having  thus  briefly  responded  to  all  your  inquiries,  I  cannot 
conclude  without  assuring  you  of  my  esteem  and  friendship. 

CHARLES  A.  CLINTON. 
William  W.  Campbell,  Esq. 


Clintfln. 


SKETCH  OF  THE  CLIJNTON  FAMILY. 

The  name  of  Clinton  has  been  prominent  for  the  last 
hundred  years,  both  in  the  colonial  and  state  history  of 
New- York.  For  nearly  forty  years  of  that  period,  indi- 
viduals of  that  name  have  held  the  high  and  responsible 
trust  of  governor,  besides  filling  many  other  offices  of  a 
military,  legislative,  and  judicial  character.  The  different 
branches  of  the  family  were  originally  from  England. 
The  first  of  the  name  who  was  distinguished  here  was  the 
colonial  governor,  George  Clinton,  who  was  the  youngest 
son  of  Francis,  sixth  Earl  of  Lincoln,  and  who  was  gov- 
ernor of  the  province  of  New  York  from  1743  to  1753. 
He  returned  to  England,  and  was  afterwards  appointed 
governor  of  Greenwich  Hospital.  He  was  the  father  of 
Sir  Henry  Clinton,  who  was  in  command  of  the  English 
army  during  a  part  of  the  revolution. 

William  Clinton,  the  ancestor  of  De  Witt  Clinton,  was 

ii 


X  SKETCH    OF    THE    CLINTON    FAMILY. 

an  adherent  to  the  cause  of  royalty  in  the  civil  wars  of 
England,  and  an  officer  in  the  army  of  Charles  1.  After 
the  death  of  that  monarch  he  went  to  the  continent,  where 
he  remained  a  long  time  in  exile.  He  afterwards  passed 
over  to  Scotland,  where  he  married  a  lady  of  the  family 
of  Kennedy.  From  Scotland  he  removed  to  Ireland, 
where  he  died,  leaving  one  son.  This  son,  James  Clinton, 
on  arriving  at  manhood,  made  an  unsuccessful  effort  to 
recover  his  patrimonial  estates  in  England.  While  in 
England  he  married  a  Miss  Smith,  a  daughter  of  a  captain 
in  the  army  of  Cromwell,  and  with  his  wife  returned  and 
settled  in  Ireland. 

Charles  Clinton,  the  son  of  this  marriage,  and  the 
grandfather  of  De  Witt  Clinton,  was  born  in  the  county 
/  of  Longford,  in  Ireland,  in  1690.  In  1729  he  determined  to 
emigrate  to  America.  Being  a  man  of  influence,  he  pre- 
vailed upon  a  large  number  of  his  neighbors  and  friends 
to  remove  with  him.  He  sailed  from  Dublin  in  a  vessel 
called  the  George  and  Anne,  in  May,  1729,  and  by  a  re- 
ceipt preserved  among  his  papers,  it  seems  that  he  paid 
for  the  passages  of  ninety-four  persons. 

They  were  unfortunate  in  the  selection  of  a  vessel. 
The  captain  was  a  violent  and  unprincipled  villain.  They 
were  poorly  supplied  with  stores,  and  the  voyage  proving 
long,  they  suffered  from  disease  and  famine.  A  large 
number  of  passengers  died,  including  a  son  and  daughter 
of  Mr.  Clinton.     They  were  finally  landed  upon  the  coast 


SKETCH  OF    THE    CLINTON    FAMILY.  XI 

of  Massachusetts.  The  captain  refused  to  go  to  New 
York,  or  to  Pennsylvania,  though  the  latter  was  his  ori- 
ginal place  of  destination.  Charles  Clinton  remained  in 
Massachusetts  until  1731,  when  he  removed  to  the  pro- 
vince of  New  York,  and  settled  at  a  place  called  Little 
Britain,  in  a  region  designated  as  the  precincts  ^  of  the 
Highlands,  afterwards  a  part  of  Ulster,  and  now  a  part  of 
Orange  county.  Though  within  a  few  miles  of  the  Hud- 
son River,  and  within  sixty  or  seventy  miles  of  the  city 
of  New  York,  the  residence  of  Mr.  Clinton  was  on  the 
frontier  of  civilization.  The  virgin  wilderness  was  around 
him.  In  the  language  of  some  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Ulster  county  after  this  period,  in  a  petition  to  the  Colonial 
Legislature  asking  for  protection,  they  say  that  they  are 
bounded  on  the  west  by  the  desert — a  desert  where,  in- 
stead of  the  roaming  Arab,  the  wild  Indian  erected  his 
cabin,  and  "  made  his  home  and  his  grave."  The  inhabit- 
ants of  that  district  were  compelled  to  fortify  their  houses 
in  order  to  guard  against  inroads  of  the  savages.  In  the 
subsequent  Indian  and  French  wars  Charles  Clinton  took 
an  active  and  efficient  part.  In  1758  we  find  him  in 
command  of  a  regiment  of  provincial  troops,  stationed  in 
the  valley  of  the  Mohawk,  and  in  the  summer  of  that 
year  he  joined  the  main  army  under  General  Bradstreet, 
on  his  way  to  Canada,  and  was  present  with  him  at  the 
capture  of  Fort  Frontenac.  Colonel  Charles  Clinton  was 
a  good   mathematical  scholar,   and   frequently  acted  as 


y 


XU  SKETCH    OF    THE    CLINTON    FAMILY. 

surveyor  of  lands;  an  employment  of  considerable  import- 
ance and  emolument  in  a  new  country.  He  was  also  a 
judge  of  the  court  of  (/ommon  Pleas  of  Ulster  county. 
He  sustained  a  pure  and  elevated  character,  was  neat  in 
his  person  and  dignified  in  his  manners,  and  exerted  a 
great  influence  in  the  district  of  country  where  he  lived. 

In  a  letter  to  his  son  James,  who  was  in  the  army,  dated 
June,  1759,  he  says :  "  My  advice  to  you  is,  to  be  diligent 
in  your  duty  to  God,  your  king  and  country,  and  avoid 
bad  company  as  much  as  in  your  province  lies  ;  forbear 
learning  habits  of  vice,  for  they  grow  too  easily  upon  men 
in  a  public  station,  and  are  not  easily  broke  off  Profane 
habits  make  men  contemptible  and  mean.  That  God 
may  grant  you  grace  to  live  in  his  fear,  and  to  discharge 
your  duty  with  a  good  conscience,  is  the  sincere  desire  of 
your  affectionate  father,  Charles  Clinton."  Among  his 
papers,  carefully  preserved  and  written  upon  parchment,  is 
the  following  certificate.  It  was  his  Christian  passport, 
which  he  carried  with  him  when  he  embarked  for  the  New 

World: 

''  Whereas  the  bearer,  Mr.  Charles  Clinton,  and  his  wife 
Elizabeth,  lived  within  the  bounds  of  this  Protestant  dissenting 
congregation  from  their  infancy,  and  now  design  for  America  ; 
this  is  to  certify,  that  all  along  they  behaved  themselves  soberly 
and  inoffensively,  and  are  fit  to  be  received  into  any  Christian 
congregation  where  Providence  may  cast  their  lot.  Also,  that 
said  Charles  Clinton  was  a  member  of  our  session,  and  discharged 
the  office  of  ruling  elder  very  acceptably  ;  this,  with  advice  of 
session,  given  at  Corbay,  in  the  county  of  Longford,  Ireland. 

"  Joseph  Bond,  Minister." 


SKETCH    OF    THE    CLINTON    FAMILY.  XIU 

I  need  scarcely  add  that  Charles  Clinton  took  an  active 
part  in  the  promotion  of  the  cause  of  religion  and  good 
morals.  He  sometimes  also  courted  the  muses,  and  in  the 
Commonplace-Book  of  De  Witt  Clinton,  the  following 
lines  were  preserved  : 

LINES 

Written  by  my  grandfather  Charles  Clinton,  and  spoken  over  tht 
grave  of  a  dear  departed  sister,  who  had  often  nursed  and  taken 
care  of  him  in  his  you7iger  days. 

"  Oh  canst  thou  know,  thou  dear  departed  shade, 
The  mighty  sorrows  that  my  soul  invade  ; 
Whilst  o'er  thy  mouldering  frame  I  mourning  stand, 
And  view  thy  grave  far  from  thy  native  land  ? 
With  thee  my  tender  years  were  early  trained. 
Oft  have  thy  friendly  arms  my  weight  sustained ; 
And  when  with  childish  fears  or  pains  oppressed, 
You  with  soft  music  luU'd  my  soul  to  rest." 

He  concludes  his  last  Will,  made  in  1771,  and  a  short 
time  before  his  decease,  with  the  following  directions  : 

"  It  is  my  will  I  be  buried  in  the  grave-yard  on  my  own 
farm,  beside  my  daughter  Catharine ;  and  it  is  my  will, 
the  said  grave-yard  be  made  four  rods  square,  and  open 
free  road  to  it  at  all  times  when  it  shall  be  necessary ;  and 
I  nominate  and  appoint  my  said  three  sons,  Charles, 
James,  and  George,  executors  of  this  my  last  will,  to  see 
the  same  executed  accordingly  ;  and  I  order  that  my  said 
executors  procure  a  suitable  stone  to  lay  over  my  grave, 
whereon  I  would  have  the  time  of  my  death,  my  age,  and 
coat  of  arms  cut.  I  hope  they  will  indulge  me  in  this  last 
piece  of  vanity." 


xiv  SKETCH    OF    THE    CLINTON    FAMILY. 

He  died  on  the  19th  of  November,  1773,  at  his  own 
residence,  in  the  83d  year  of  his  age,  and  in  the  full  view 
of  that  revolution  in  which  his  sons  were  to  act  such  dis- 
tinguished parts.  In  his  last  moments  he  conjured  them 
to  stand  by  the  liberties  of  America. 

His  wife,  Elizabeth  Denniston,  to  whom  he  was  married 
in  Ireland,  was  an  accomplished  and  intelligent  woman. 
She  appears  to  have  been  well  acquainted  with  the  mili- 
tary operations  of  the  times,  and  to  have  shared  largely  in 
the  patriotic  ardor  of  her  husband  and  her  sons.  Siie  died 
at  the  residence  of  her  son  James,  on  the  25th  of  Decem- 
er,  1779,  in  the  75th  year  of  her  age. 

They  left  four  sons  :  Alexander,  Charles,  James,  and 
George.  The  two  former  were  physicians  of  considerable 
eminence.  Charles  was  a  surgeon  in  the  British  navy  at 
the  capture  of  the  Havana.  George  Clinton  was  the 
youngest  son  :  he  was  a  soldier  and  a  statesman.  He  was 
engaged  in  the  French  war  and  in  the  Revolution  ;  he  was 
a  member  of  the  Provincial  Assembly  just  before  the  Re- 
volution, and  in  that  body  was  a  fearless  advocate  of  his 
country's  liberty.  He  was  the  first  governor  of  the  State 
of  New  York,  and  for  twenty-one  years  was  continued  in 
that  high  and  responsible  office,  and  exerted,  perhaps,  a 
larger  influence  than  any  other  man  over  the  then  future 
destinies  of  the  Empire  State.  He  closed  his  eventful  life 
while  fining  the  chair  of  Vice-President  of  the  United 
States. 


c^ra.  Snnu?3  Clintnii. 

James  Clinton,  the  third  son,  and  the  father  of  Db  Witt 
Chnton,  was  born  on  the  9th  of  August,  1736,  at  the  family 
residence  in  Little  Britain.  It  has  truly  been  said  of  him, 
that  he  was  a  warrior  from  his  youth  upward.  Born  upon 
the  frontiers,  with  a  hardy  and  vigorous  constitution,  and 
accustomed  to  alarms  and  Indian  incursions,  he  became  in 
early  life  attached  to  the  profession  of  arms.  As  early  as 
1757,  he  received  an  ensign's  commission,  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing year  he  was  commissioned  first  lieutenant  by  James 
Delancey,  lieutenant-governor  of  the  then  province  of 
New  York,  and  empowered  to  enlist  troops;  and  in  1759, 
being  then  twenty-three  years  of  age,  he  attained  the  rank 
of  captain  in  the  provincial  army.  In  1758,  a  considerable 
army,  under  General  Bradstreet,  passed  up  the  Mohawk 
valley,  and  thence  to  Lake  Ontario,  and  by  a  well-directed 
attack,  captured  Fort  Frontenac  from  the  French.  Colonel 
Charles  Clinton  was  at  this  time  in  command  of  Fort 
Herkimer,  near  the  German  Flats,  in  the  Mohawk  valley ; 
and  as  before  mentioned,  joined  General  Bradstreet  with 
his  regiment.  James  Clinton  was  also  in  this  expedition, 
and  commanded  a  company ;  his  brother  George  being 
lieutenant.     At  the  attack  upon  Fort  Frontenac,  he  ex- 


XVI  SKETCH  OF    THE    CLINTON    FAMILY. 

hibited  an  intrepidity  of  character  which  gained  him  great 
credit.  He  and  his  brother  were  instrumental  in  cap- 
turing one  of  the  French  vessels.  The  capture  of  this  fort 
was  one  of  the  brilliant  exploits  of  the  French  war. 

Colonel  Charles  Clinton  states  in  his  journal,  that  "  the 
destruction  of  this  place  (meaning  Fort  Frontenac,)  and 
of  the  shipping,  artillery,  and  stores,  is  one  of  the  greatest 
blows  the  French  have  met  with  in  America,  considering 
the  consequences  of  it,  as  it  was  the  store  out  of  which  all 
the  forts  to  the  southward  were  supplied  ;  and  the  shipping 
destroyed  there,  they  employed  in  that  service."  The 
expedition  was  conducted  with  secrecy,  and  the  French 
were  taken  unprepared.  The  fort  contained  but  a  small 
garrison,  and  was  carried  the  second  day  after  the  com- 
mencement of  the  siege.  Similar  expeditions  were  com- 
mon in  that  war.  Armies  plunged  into  the  wilderness 
and  forced  their  way  up  streams  and  over  morasses  with 
great  labor  and  difficulty.  The  province  of  New  York 
was  the  principal  battle-ground.  Fortresses  were  erected 
on  the  whole  then  northern  frontier,  extending  from  Lake 
George  through  the  valley  of  the  Mohawk,  and  along  the 
shores  of  Lake  Ontario  to  the  vicinity  of  the  great  cata- 
ract itself.  The  Englishman  and  the  Anglo-American 
fought  side  by  side  against  France  and  her  dependencies, 
and  it  seemed  at  times  as  if  the  fate  of  nations  three  thou- 
sand miles  removed  was  to  be  decided   by  the  hot  con- 


SKETCH    OF    THE    CLINTON    FAMILY.  Xvii 

tests  of  their  armies  amid  the  green  forests  of  this  western 
world. 

From  1758  to  1763,  James  Clinton  continued  in  the 
provincial  army ;  now  stationed  upon  the  frontier  posts, 
engaged  in  the  border  skirmishes,  and  now  enhsting  new 
recruits  under  orders  from  the  colonial  governors,  Sir 
Charles  Handy,  James  Delancey,  and  Cadwallader  Colden. 
In  the  latter  year,  1763,  he  raised  and  commanded  a  corps 
of  two  hundred  men,  who  were  designated  as  guards  of 
the  frontier.  He  continued  in  the  army  until  the  close  of 
the  French  war,  and  seems  to  have  enjoyed,  in  a  large 
degree,  the  confidence  of  the  government  and  of  his  fellow 
soldiers. 

After  the  close  of  the  war  he  retired  to  his  farm  at  Lit- 
tle Britain,  and  married  Mary  De  Witt,  a  daughter  of 
Egbert  De  Witt,  a  young  lady^of  great  respectability, 
whose  ancestors  were  from  Holland.  He  had  four  sons 
by  this  marriage ;  Alexander,  who  was  private  secretary 
to  his  uncle  George  ;  Charles,  who  was  a  lawyer  in  Orange 
county ;  De  Witt,  the  third  son,  born  in  March,  1769  y^ 
and  George,  who  was  also  a  lawyer  and  a  member  of 
Congress — all  of  whom  are  now  deceased. 

James  Clinton,  however,  in  time  of  peace,  could  not  en- 
tirely forget  the  military  life.  He  entered  with  zeal  into 
the  militia  organization,  and  was  a  lieutenant  colonel  of  a 
regiment  in  Orange  county.  At  the  commencement  of 
the  Revolutionary  War  he  entered  warmly  into  the  conti- 


XVlll  SKETCH    OF    THE    CLINTON    FAMILY. 

nental  service.  His  brother  George  had  been  for  many 
years  a  representative  in  the  Colonial  Assembly  from  his 
native  county,  and  had  from  the  first  advocated  his  coun- 
try's cause  with  that  fearlessness  and  energy  of  character 
for  which  he  was  distinguished. 

The  two  brothers  were  not  unmindful  of  the  dying  in- 
junctions of  their  father,  and,  hand  in  hand,  at  the  first 
moment  of  outbreak,  they  entered  the  arena  and  joined 
\/    their  pledges  of  faith  and  support  to  the  colonial  cause. 

In  1775,  James  Clinton  was  appointed  colonel  of  the 
third  regiment  of  New  York  troops,  raised  by  the  order 
of  the  Continental  Congress ;  and  in  1776,  he  was  promo- 
ted to  the  rank  of  brigadier-general.  In  the  summer  of 
this  year  he  was  employed  in  the  expedition  against  Cana- 
da, under  Gen.  Montgomery,  and  was  before  the  walls  of 
Quebec  at  the  time  of  the  fall  of  that  brave  and  gallant 
general.  In  the  summer  of  1777,  that  gloomy  period 
when  almost  the  whole  force  of  the  British  armies  in 
America  was  concentrated  upon  the  State  of  New  York, 
Gen.  Clinton  was  stationed  at  Fort  Montgomery,  upon 
the  Hudson  River,  and  together  with  his  brother  the  go- 
vernor, made  a  firm  thousfh  unsuccessful  resistance  to  the 
advance  of  the  enemy,  under  Sir  Henry  Clinton. 

During  the  greater  part  of  1778,  Gen.  Clinton  was  sta- 
tioned at  West  Point,  and  for  a  portion  of  that  year  was 
engaged  in  throwing  a  chain  across  the  Hudson  to  pre- 
vent the  ascent  of  the  river  by  the  enemy's  ships.     The 


SKETCH    OF    THE    CLINTON    FAMILY.  %1X 

summer  of  that  year  has  been  rendered  memorable  upon 
the  then  frontiers,  by  reason  of  the  massacres  of  Wyoming 
and  Cherry  Valley,  under  armies  of  Indians  and  Tories, 
led  on  by  the  Butlers  and  Brant.  On  the  16th  of  Novem- 
ber, 1778,  and  just  after  the  massacre  at  Cherry  Valley, 
which  occurred  on  the  11th  of  that  month,  Gen.  V/ash- 
ington  wrote  to  Gen.  Hand,  acknowledging  the  receipt  of 
his  letter  containing  the  information  of  the  destruction  of 
that  place,  and  adds,  "  It  is  in  the  highest  degree  distress- 
ing to  have  our  frontiers  so  continually  harrassed  by  this 
collection  of  banditti  under  Brant  and  Butler."  He  then 
inquires  whether  offensive  operations  could  not  be  carried 
on  against  them  at  that  season  of  the  year,  and  if  not  then, 
when  and  how.  This  letter  was  probably  referred  to 
Gen.  Clinton,  as  it  has  been  preserved  among  his  papers ; 
and  it  contains  the  first  intimation  which  I  have  seen  of 
that  expedition  against  the  Six  Nations  in  the  following 
year,  known  as  Sullivan's  expedition,  in  which  Gen.  Clin- 
ton was  called  to  act  a  distinguished  part. 

It  was  determined  to  "  carry  the  war  into  Africa."  In 
other  words,  it  was  resolved  to  overrun  the  whole  Indian 
country,  and  thus,  if  possible,  put  an  end  to  the  constant 
and  harassing  inroads  of  the  enemy  upon  the  frontier 
settlements.  For  this  purpose  extensive  preparations 
were  made,  and  after  some  difficulty  in  obtaining  a  com- 
mander, the  expedition  was  intrusted  to  Gen.  Sullivan.  It 
was  decided  that  the  army  should  move  early  in  the  Spring 


1 


-J 


XX  SKETCH    OF    THE    CLINTON    FAMILY. 

of  1779.  Gen.  Sullivan  was  to  cross  to  Easton,  in  Penn- 
sylvania, and  into  the  valley  of  the  Susquehanna,  w^hile 
Gen.  Clinton  was  to  pass  up  the  Mohawk  Valley,  and 
either  unite  with  Sullivan  in  the  Indian  country,  or  else 
cross  over  from  the  Mohawk  River  to  Lake  Otsego,  and 
proceed  thence  down  the  eastern  branch  of  the  Susque- 
hanna. The  latter  route  was  finally  determined  upon, 
though  Gen.  Washington  preferred  the  former,  as  did  Gen. 
Clinton.  The  latter  gave  as  his  reasons  that  the  army 
could  move  up  the  Mohawk  Valley  and  enter  the  Indian 
country  with  more  ease  and  less  delay,  and  that  a  move- 
ment in  that  direction  would  be  more  decisive  and  fatal 
to  the  Indians.  The  whole  expedition  was,  however, 
under  the  control  of  Gen.  Sullivan,  who  preferred  the 
other  route,  and  it  was  adopted. 

On  the  1st  of  June,  1779,  Gen.  Clinton's  detachment, 
consisting  of  about  two  thousand  troops,  moved  from 
Albany  and  proceeded  up  the  Mohawk  Valley  as  far  as 
Canajoharie.  Here  they  pitched  their  camp,  and  with 
great  labor  carried  over  their  boats  and  stores  to  the  head 
of  Lake  Otsego — a  distance  of  nearly  twenty  miles. 

On  the  1st  of  July,  Gen.  Clinton  broke  up  his  camp  at 
Canajoharie,  and  crossed  over  to  Lake  Otsego,  where  his 
boats  and  stores  had  previously  been  carried,  and,  launch- 
ing his  boats,  passed  down  to  the  outlet,  and  again  en- 
camped upon  the  spot  where  now  is  built  the  beautiful 
village  of  Cooperstown,  the  Templeton  of  the  Pioneers. 


SKETCH    OF    THE    CLINTON    FAMILY.  XXI 

Two  hundred  and  eight  batteaux,  and  a  large  amount  of 
provisions  and  military  stores,  had  been  carried  across  from 
the  Mohawk  River.  Here,  under  date  of  13th  of  July, 
Gen.  Clinton  writes  to  Mrs.  Clinton,  saying  that  she  pro- 
bably expects  that  the  army  is  in  the  midst  of  the  Indian 
country,  but  that  he  is  still  waiting  orders  to  move  ;  that 
he  is  impatient  for  them,  but  that  his  situation  is  by  no 
means  unpleasant;  that  he  can  catch  perch  in  the  lake 
and  trout  in  the  streams,  and  hunt  the  deer  upon  the 
mountains. 

On  the  22d  of  August,  this  division  arrived  at  Tioga, 
and  joined  the  main  army  under  Gen.  Sullivan. 

On  the  26th  of  August,  the  whole  army  moved  from 
Tioga  up  the  river  of  that  name,  and  on  the  29th  fell  in 
with  the  enemy  at  Newtown.  Here  a  spirited  engagement 
took  place,  in  which  the  enemy  was  routed.  When  it  was 
first  announced  that  an  army  was  marching  into  their 
country,  the  Indians  laughed  at  their  supposed  folly,  be- 
lieving it  impossible  for  a  regular  army  to  traverse  the 
wilderness  and  drive  them  from  their  fastnesses. 

On  the  14th  of  September  the  army  arrived  at  the  Ge- 
nesee River,  and  the  rich  alluvial  bottom  lands  which 
now  constitute  the  garden  of  this  State  had  even  then 
been  extensively  cultivated  by  the  Indians.  Scarcely  a 
tree  was  to  be  seen  over  the  whole  extent.  Modern  cu- 
riosity and  enterprise  had  not  then  rendered  familiar  the 
mighty  valleys  and  prairies  of  the  West,  and  officers  and 


XXll  SKETCH    OP    THE    CLINTON    FAMILY. 

soldiers  gazed  alike  with  surprise  and  admiration  upon  the 
rich  prospect  before  them.  The  army,  as  it  emerged  from 
the  woods,  and  as  company  after  company  filed  off  and 
formed  upon  the  plain,  presented  an  animating  and  impos- 
ing spectacle. 

The  whole  country  of  the  Onondagas,  the  Cayugas,  and 
Senecas  was  overrun  by  this  expedition. 

In  the  early  part  of  1780,  the  year  following  the  expedi- 
tion against  the  Six  Nations,  Gen.  Clinton  was  stationed 
upon  the  Hudson  River.  In  October  of  that  year,  and 
after  the  discovery  of  the  treason  of  Arnold,  Gen.  Wash- 
ington wrote  to  Gen.  Clinton,  then  at  West  Point,  as  fol- 
lows :  "  As  it  is  necessary  there  should  be  an  officer  in 
whom  the  State  has  confidence,  to  take  the  general  direc- 
tion of  affairs  at  Albany  and  on  the  frontier,  I  have  fixed 
upon  you  for  this  purpose,  and  request  you  will  proceed 
to  Albany  without  delay,  and  assume  the  command.  You 
will  be  particularly  attentive  to  the  post  at  Fort  Schuyler, 
and  do  everything  in  your  power  to  have  it  supplied  with 
a  good  stock  of  provisions  and  stores,  and  you  will  take 
every  other  precaution  the  means  at  your  command  will 
permit  for  the  security  of  the  frontier,  giving  the  most 
early  advice  of  any  incursions  of  the  enemy." 

Gen.  Clinton  repaired  to  Albany,  and  took  the  direction 
of  affairs  in  the  northern  department,  according  to  the  in- 
structions of  the  Commander-in-chief.  That  post  had 
been  one  of  great  responsibility  during  the  whole  of  the 


SKETCH  OF    THE    CLINTON    FAMILY.  XXiii 

war,  and  at  the  time  of  Gen.  Clinton's  appointment  it  had 
not  lost  its  importance. 

He  continued  at  Albany  until  August,  1781,  when  he 
embarked  the  troops  immediately  under  his  command,  for 
the  purpose  of  joining  the  Commander-in-chief,  and  was 
succeeded  in  the  command  of  the  northern  army  by  Gen. 
Stark. 

In  the  winter  or  spring  of  1782  some  promotions  were 
made  by  the  Continental  Congress,  by  which  a  junior  offi- 
cer took  precedence  over  Gen.  Clinton.  The  veteran 
soldier  could  not  brook  what  he  deemed  a  great  injury. 
He  solicited  and  ob'tained  leave  to  withdraw  from  the 
active  duties  of  the  camp.  In  a  letter  dated  April  10th, 
1782,  Gen.  Clinton  says  : 

"  At  an  early  period  of  the  war  I  entered  into  the  ser- 
vice of  my  country,  and  I  have  continued  in  it  during  all 
the  vicissitudes  of  fortune,  and  am  conscious  that  I  have 
exerted  my  best  endeavor  to  serve  it  with  fidelity.  I  have 
never  sought  emolument  or  promotion  ;  and  as  the  differ- 
ent commands  I  have  held  were  unsolicited,  I  might  have 
reasonably  expected,  if  my  services  were  no  longer  want- 
ed, to  have  been  indulged  at  least  with  a  decent  dismis- 
sion." 

He  did  not  retire  from  the  army  entirely,  but  joined 
again  the  Commander-in-chief,  and  was  present  at  the 
evacuation  of  New  York,  where  he  took  leave  of  Gen. 
Washington,  and  retired  to  his  farm  at  Little  Britain. 


XXIV.  SKETCH    OF    THE    CLINTON    FAMILY. 

The  war  was  happily  terminated,  and  peace  again  reigned 
along  the  borders. 

Gen.  James  Clinton  was  afterwards  called  to  fill  several 
important  stations.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Convention 
called  to  ratify  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  he 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  State  Senate,  a  member  of 
the  Convention  to  revise  the  Constitution  of  New  York, 
and  was  appointed  a  Commissioner  to  run  the  boundary 
line  between  New  York  and  Pennsylvania. 

With  the  exceptions  above  mentioned,  the  residue  of 
Gen.  Clinton's  life,  after  the  war,  was  spent  in  peaceful 
retirement  upon  his  estate  at  Little  Britain. 

He  died  at  his  residence  in  1812,  just  at  the  commence- 
ment of  another  war.  He  had  seen  his  country  under  all 
the  vicissitudes  of  good  and  evil  fortune. 

The  pen  of  his  illustrious  son  has  recorded  his  epitaph, 
and  thus  beautifully  sums  up  his  character : 

"  His  life  was  principally  devoted  to  the  military  service 
of  his  country,  and  he  had  filled,  with  fidelity  and  honor, 
several  distinguished  civil  offices. 

"  He  was  an  officer  in  the  revolutionary  war  and  the 
war  preceding,  and  at  the  close  of  the  former  was  a  ma- 
jor-general in  the  army  of  the  United  States.  He  was  a 
good  man  and  a  sincere  patriot;  performing  in  the  most 
exemplary  manner  all  the  duties  of  hfe,  and  he  died  as  he 
had  lived,  without  fear  and  without  reproach." 


iB  Wiii  €Mn, 

De  Witt  Clinton,  the  third  son  of  Gen.  James  Clinton, 
was  born  on  the  2d  of  March,  1769,  at  the  family  i*esi- 
dence,  in  Little  Britain,  in  the  county  of  Orange.^  His 
early  education  was  conducted  at  the  grammar-school  of 
his  native  town,  and  he  was  afterwards  sent  to  the  acade- 
my at  Kingston.  Education  was  almost  lost  sight  of  dur- 
ing the  revolutionary  war,  and  at  that  period  the  academy 
at  Kingston  was  the  only  seminary  in  the  State ;  here, 
all  the  young  men  desirous  of  a  classical  education  resort- 
ed. In  the  spring  of  1784,  he  entered  the  junior  class  of 
Columbia  College ;  his  address  to  the  alumni  of  that  in- 
stitution, which  will  be  found  in  this  volume,  and  which 
was  his  last  literary  effort,  contains  a  graphic  description 
of  the  college  edifice  as  it  appeared  at  the  close  of  the  war, 
with  sketches  of  its  early  professors,  and  an  account  of  his 
own  introduction  as  the  first  student  after  its  revival — when 
the  name  of  King's  College  was  discarded,  and  that  of  Co- 
lumbia substituted.  While  in  college,  he  commenced  that 
practice  of  reading  with  his  pen  in  his  hand,  which  he 
continued  down  to  the  close  of  his  life.     During  his  first 

collegiate  year,  his  common-place  book  shows  that  he  read 

iii 


XXVI  SKETCH    OF    THE    CLINTON    FAMILY. 

and  made  extracts  from  nearly  one  hundred  different 
works.  He  was  graduated  in  1786,  at  the  head  of  his 
class,  and  soon  after  commenced  the  studv  of  the  law 
with  Samuel  Jones,  then  an  eminent  lawyer  in  the  city 
of  New  York.  He  was  pursuing  his  legal  studies  when 
the  Convention  assembled,  which  gave  to  us  as  a  rule,  and 
to  the  world  as  a  model,  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States. 

The  publications  of  the  members  of  that  Convention, 
in  favor  of  the  Constitution,  did  not  escape  the  attention 
of  the  young  student. 

The  first  Constitution  of  the  State  of  New  York  ema- 
nated from  a  Convention  which  sat  a  portion  of  the  time 
with  arms  in  their  hands ;  and,  driven  from  place  to  place 
during  a  dark  and  stormy  period  of  the  revolution,  closed 
its  labors  in  the  spring  of  1777,  at  Kingston,  in  the  county 
of  Ulster.  On  the  17th  day  of  June,  1788,  another  Con- 
vention assembled  at  Poughkeepsie,  in  the  county  of 
Duchess,  for  the  purpose  of  considering  and  ratifying  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States.  This  Convention  em- 
braced almost  all  the  distinguished  men  of  the  State,  and 
the  mention  of  whose  names  can  hardly  fail  to  awaken 
emotions  of  pride  in  the  bosom  of  every  New  Yorker. 
From  the  city  of  New  York,  the  delegates  were  John  Jay, 
Alexander  Hamilton,  Robert  R.  Livingston,  Richard  Mor- 
ris, and  James  Duane ;  and  they  were  all  in  favor  of  the 
adoption  of  the  Constitution.     From  Albany,  Col.  Peter 


SKETCH    OF    THE    CLINTON    FAMILY.  XXVll 

Gansevoort,  John  Lansing,  Jr.,  Robert  Yates,  and  others, 
with  Melancthon  Smith  from  the  county  of  Duchess,  Gen. 
James  Clinton  from  Orange,  and  Gov.  George  Clinton 
from  Ulster,  were  opposed  to  an  unconditional  adoption  . 
and  a  majority  of  the  members,  when  elected,  entertained 
similar  views  with  the  latter  gentlemen.  From  the  com- 
mencement of  the  session  of  this  Convention  to  its  close, 
during  a  period  of  six  weeks,  the  debates  were  able,  earn- 
est, and  instructive.  Gov.  Clinton  was  chosen  to  preside 
over  its  deliberations. 

Hamilton,  Livingston,  and  Jay  advocated  the  adoption 
of  the  Constitution  with  ardor  and  eloquence,  and  they 
enriched  their  discourses  with  the  learning  of  ancient  and 
modern  times. 

Though  a  considerable  majority  of  the  Convention  was 
elected  in  opposition,  and  though  Gov.  Clinton  was  num- 
bered with  that  majority,  and  to  the  last  refused  to  yield 
his  assent,  yet,  when  the  vote  was  finally  taken,  a  majority 
of  the  Convention  voted  for  the  adoption  of  the  Constitu- 
tution ;  and  New  York,  on  the  26th  day  of  July,  1788, 
entered  into  the  Union  of  the  States.  Among  the  numer- 
ous citizens  assembled  at  this  most  interesting  and  impor- 
tant Convention,  and  who  watched  from  day  to  day  the 
changing  phases  of  thought  and  opinion,  was  De  Witt 
Chnton.  He  was  nineteen  years  of  age,  and  even  then, 
was  commanding  in  person  and  dignified  in  manners.  The 
late  Chancellor  Kent  once  stated  to  the  writer  that  he 


^ 


XXviil  SKETCH    OF    THE    CLINTON    FAMILY. 

met  De  Witt  Clinton  at  that  time ;  and  he  described  his 
appearance  as  he  recollected  it,  on  that  first  meeting  of 
two  young  men,  both  of  whom  were  destined  to  fill  such 
large  spaces  in  the  history  of  their  native  State.  The 
future  Chancellor  had  just  commenced  the  practice  of  the 
law  in  the  village  of  Poughkeepsie,  in  partnership  with 
Gilbert  Livingston,  who  was  a  member  of  the  Convention, 
and  whose  political  sympathies  were  with  the  Clintons. 
Mr.  Kent  was  in  favor  of  the  Constitution,  and  was  a 
Federalist.  In  such  times  of  political  excitement  there 
was  not  that  close  and  confidential  intercourse  which 
might  otherwise  have  existed  between  two  young  and 
highly  gifted  men.  The  visit  paid  by  Mr.  Clinton  to  Mr. 
Kent  was  formal,  but  courteous,  and  the  venerable  Chan- 
cellor at  the  age  of  four  score  spoke  with  animation  of  the 
/  fine  personal  appearance  of  the  youthful  statesman ;  he 
y'i  remarked  that  Mr.  Clinton  even  then  had  a  hauteur  in  his 
1  manner,  which  whether  arising  from  pride  or  from  diffi- 
dence he  did  not  pretend  to  decide,  and  which  in  after  life 
was  contrasted  strongly  with  the  character  and  bearing  of 
some  of  his  political  competitors. 

De  Witt  Clinton  was  an  active  and  observing  attendant 
upon  the  debates  of  the  Convention,  and  he  communica- 
ted the  substance  of  the  speeches,  and  his  own  impres- 
sions and  opinions,  to  his  political  friends  in  the  city  of 
New  York,  through  the  columns  of  a  journal  of  that  day. 
He  entered  zealously  into  the  views  of  his  uncle  and  his 


SKETCH    OP    THE    CLINTON    FAMILY.  XXIX 

father,  and  to  the  last  opposed  with  them  the  unconditional 
adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution.  With  them  he  gave 
the  Constitution  his  unqualified  support  when  it  was  rati- 
fied and  became  the  supreme  law  of  the  land. 

On  the  death  of  his  brother  Alexander,  De  Witt  Clinton 
about  the  year  1789  was  appointed  to  succeed  him  as  pri- 
vate secretary  to  his  uncle.  Gov.  George  Clinton ;  he  held 
this  situation  down  to  1795,  and  during  that  period  was 
actively  engaged  in  the  political  controversies  of  the  times.  "• 
In  1797  he  was  elected  to  the  Assembly,  and  in  1798  to       / 
the  Senate  of  the  State  ;  of  both  bodies  he  was  an  active    " 
and  efficient  member,  and  he  took  a  leading  part  in  the 
political  and  legislative  movements  of  New  York.     He 
was  a  member  of  the  Council  of  Appointment,  and  differ- 
ing with  the  chief  magistrate  upon  the  question  whether 
the  sole  power  of  nomination  to  office  was  vested  by  the 
Constitution  in  the  Governor,  or  whether  it  was  shared 
also  by  the  members  of  the  Council,  a  convention  was 
called,  and  the  construction  contended  for  by  Mr.  CHnton 
was  adopted.     Of  the  wisdom  of  that  decision,  it  is  said, 
Mr.  Clinton  himself  afterwards  doubted ;  and  in  the  sub-     ^ 
sequent  Constitution  of  1822,  the  exclusive  power  of  nomi- 
nation was  restored  to  the  Governor. 

In  1802,  De  Witt  Clinton,  then  only  thirty-three  years  ^/ 
of  age,  was  elected  to  the  Senate  of  the  United  States. 
In  the  month  of  February,  1803,  a  debate  arose  in  the 
Senate  on  certain  resolutions  introduced  by  Mr.  Ross,  of 


./ 


XXX  SKETCH    OF    THE    CLINTON    FAMILY. 

Pennsylvania,  which  elicited  the  talent  and  the  learning  of 
that  body.  These  resolutions  authorized  the  President  to 
take  immediate  possession  of  New  Orleans,  and  empowered 
him  to  call  out  thirty  thousand  militia  to  effect  that  object. 
It  was  alledged  that  Spain  had  given,  by  treaty,  to  the  citi- 
zens of  the  United  States  the  right  to  deposit  their  goods 
at  that  place,  and  that  she  then  interdicted  it.  In  this  de- 
bate Mr.  Clinton  took  a  prominent  part,  and  he  depreca- 
ted the  passage  of  the  resolutions  as  leading  to  war,  and 
recommended  that  peaceable  negotiations  should  be  substi- 
tuted. His  speech  on  that  occasion  will  be  found  in  this 
volume.  It  was  during  that  debate  that  Governeur  Mor- 
ris, also  in  the  Senate,  from  the  State  of  New  York,  thus 
spoke  of  Mr.  Clinton  :  "  I  will  not  pretend,  like  my  honor- 
able colleague,  to  describe  to  you  the  waste,  the  ravages, 
and  the  horrors  of  war ;  I  have  not  the  same  harmonious 
periods,  nor  the  same  musical  tones ;  neither  shall  I  boast 
of  Christian  charity,  nor  attempt  to  display  that  ingenuous 
glow  of  benevolence  so  decorous  to  the  cheek  of  youth, 
which  gave  a  vivid  tint  to  every  sentence  he  uttered,  and 
was,  if  possible,  as  impressive  even  as  his  eloquence." 

In  the  summer  of  1803,  Edward  Livingston,  then  Mayor 
of  the  city  of  New  York,  was  appointed  United  States 
District  Attorney  for  the  district  of  New  York ;  and  he 
was  succeeded  in  the  Mayoralty  by  Mr.  Clinton.  The 
office  of  Mayor,  with  the  exception  of  one  or  two  years, 
Mr.  Clinton  continued  to  hold  until   1815.     The  judicial 


SKETCH    OF    THE    CLINTON    FAMILY,  XXXI 

powers  at  that  period  belonging  to  the  office,  and  the  large 
emoluments  which  it  brought  to  the  incumbent,  rendered 
its  possession  desirable  to  the  leading  men  of  the  State. 
While  holding  this  office,  and  especially  during  the  war, 
the  charges  of  Mr.  Clinton  to  the  Grand  Juries  were  able, 
elo(juent,  and  patriotic.  Though  on  his  appointment  he 
was  obliged  to  resign  his  seat  in  the  Senate  of  the  United 
States,  yet  he  was  elected  to  the  Senate  of  New  York, 
and  occupied  a  seat  in  that  body  for  several  years  of  his 
Mayoralty,  and  during  that  period  was  the  author  and 
advocate  of  laws  covering  almost  the  entire  range  of  State 
legislation.  During  the  sessions  of  1809,  1810,  and  1811, 
"  he  introduced  laws  to  prevent  kidnapping  or  the  further 
introduction  of  slaves,  and  to  punish  those  who  should 
treat  them  inhumanly ;  for  the  support  of  the  quarantine 
establishment ;  for  the  encouragement  of  missionary  socie- 
ties ;  for  the  improvement  of  the  public  police  ;  for  the  pre- 
vention and  punishment  of  crime  ;  for  pei'fecting  the  militia 
system  ;  for  promoting  medical  science,  and  for  endowing 
seminaries  of  education."  It  was  in  the  summer  of  1810 
that  he  and  his  associates,  the  first  Canal  Commissioners, 
examined  the  valley  of  the  Mohawk  and  the  western  part 
of  the  State  for  the  purpose  of  learning  the  practicability 
of  constructing  a  canal  from  the  Hudson  to  the  lakes. 
The  valuable  and  interesting  journal  kept  by  Mr.  Clinton 
during  that  tour  will  be  found  in  this  volume,  and  is  now 
first  given  to  the  public.    It  contains  a  picture  of  a  large  and 


y 


/ 


XXXll  SKETCH    OF    THE    CLINTON    FAMILY. 

most  important  portion  of  the  Empire  State  as  presented 
to  the  eye  of  a  keen  and  minute  observer  forty  years  ago. 

In  1811  Mr.  Clinton  was  elected  lieutenant-governor 
of  New  York,  and  in  the  following  year  was  nominated 
in  opposition  to  Mr.  Madison  to  the  station  of  President 
of  the  United  States.  He  was  unsuccessful,  receiving 
eighty-nine  electoral  votes,  while  Mr.  Madison  received 
one  hundred  and  twenty-eight. 

This  event  is  said  by  his  friends  to  have  produced  an 
unhappy  influence  both  upon  his  political  and  private  for- 
tunes. However  this  may  be,  he  devoted  himself  with  zeal 
and  success  to  literary  pursuits ;  and  he  continued  also  to 
press  the  subject  of  internal  improvements  with  renewed 
animation. 

In  December,  1811,  he  read  before  the  New  York 
Historical  Society  his  celebrated  discourse  on  the  Iro- 
quois or  Six  Nations  of  Indians,  which  is  republished 
in  this  volume.  It  may  be  remarked  in  this  connection 
/that  De  Witt  Clinton  was  one  of  the  earliest  and  most 
efficient  friends  of  that  Society  which  now  stands  so  pro- 
minent among  kindred  institutions  in  our  country.  In 
1814,  he  was  requested  by  the  Society  to  prepare  a  memo- 
rial to  the  Legislature  of  New  York  for  assistance,  and 
V  which  was  answered  by  the  State  in  a  liberal  grant  of 
twelve  thousand  dollars.  This  memorial  concludes  as 
follows :  "  We  have  done  much  and  we  are  willing  to  do 
more  in  order  to  preserve  the  history  of  the  State  from 


SKETCH    OF    THE    CLINTON    FAMILY.  XXXli^ 

oblivion ;  we  are  influenced  by  no  other  motive  than  that 
of  elevating  the  character  and  promoting  the  prosperity  of 
a  community  to  which  we  are  bound  by  every  tie  that  is 
deemed  precious  and  sacred  among  men ;  and  let  it  not  be 
said  that  the  exigencies  of  the  times  and  the  pressure  of  a 
foreign  war  render  it  inexpedient  to  apply  the  public 
bounty  to  this  object.  The  State  is  rich  in  funds,  rich  in 
credit,  and  rich  in  resources,  and  she  ought  to  be  rich  in 
hberality  and  public  spirit.  Genuine  greatness  never  ap- 
pears in  a  more  resplendent  light  or  in  a  more  sublime 
attitude  than  in  that  buoyancy  of  character  which  rises 
superior  to  danger  and  difficulty ;  in  that  magnanimity  of 
soul  which  cultivates  the  arts  and  sciences  amidst  the 
horrors  of  war,  and  in  that  comprehension  of  mind  which 
cherishes  all  the  cardinal  interests  of  a  country  without 
being  distracted  or  diverted  by  the  most  appalling  con- 
siderations." 

After  the  termination  of  the  war  the  subject  of  a  canal 
from  the  Hudson  to  the  lakes  was  pressed  upon  the  at- 
tention of  the  people  and  upon  the  consideration  of  the 
Legislature  by  Mr.  Clinton.     In  1816  a  large  meeting  of 
many  of  the  most  influential  citizens  of  the  city  of  New 
York  was  held  in  that  city,  and  a  memorial  in  favor  of 
the  construction  of  the  canal,  drawn  up  by  Mr.  Clinton 
with  great  ability,  was  submitted  and  adopted.     Indeed, 
his  mind  directed  and  his, hand  guided  all  its  proceedings. 
On  the  15th,  of  April,  1817,  the  Bill  was  passed,  commit- 


XXXIV  SKETCH    OF    THE    CLINTON    FAMILY. 

ting  the  State  to  the  construction  of  the  canals ;  and  on 
Ahe  4th  of  July  following  the  work  was  commenced. 

The  star  of  Mr.  Clinton's  fortunes  was  again  in  the  as- 
cendant, and  in  the  fall  of  1817  he  was  elected  Governor 
of  New  York.  In  1815  he  had  been  removed  by  his  po- 
litical opponents  from  the  office  of  Mayor  of  the  city  of 
New  York,  and  after  the  lapse  of  two  years  he  was  se- 
lected by  the  Republicans  as  their  first  man,  and  almost 
unanimously  elected  Governor  of  the  Empire  State.     In 

V  1820  Mr.  Clinton  was  reelected  Governor,  and  during  this 
and  his  previous  term  the  prosecution  of  the  works  upon 
the  canals  was  pressed  with  vigor  and  success. 

In  1822  a  Convention  was  called  to  form  a  new  Consti- 
tution, and  in  that  year  Joseph  C.  Yates  was  elected  Go- 
yj    vernor  for  the  following  two  years.     In  1824  Mr.  Clinton 

•  was  again  elected  Governor,  and  was  retained  in  that 
high  office  to  the  period  of  his  death.  In  his  message  of 
January,  1826,  he  refers  to  his  message  of  1818  when  he 
congratulated  the  Legislature  on  the  auspicious  com- 
mencement of  the  canals,  and  he  now  announces  their 
completion.  In  October,  1825,  the  work  was  completed, 
and  Mr.  Clinton  passed  in  triumph  from  Lake  Erie  to  the 
Hudson,  and  in  alluding  to  it  he  says :  "  The  auspicious 
consummation  of  the  canals  naturally  called  forth  uni- 
versal expressions  of  joy,  not  from  a  spirit  of  ostentation 
or  vanity,  but  from  a  conviction  that  the  moral  impres- 
sion would  have  a  most  felicitous  effect  in  keeping  alive  a 


SKETCH    OF    THE    CLINTON    FAMILY.  XXXV 

noble  spirit  of  improvement,  in  promoting  other  under- 
takings, and  in  elevating  the  character  of  the  State." 

On  the  1st  day  of  January,  1828,  Gov.  Clinton  deliver- 
ed his  last  message  to  the  Legislature.  He  observes, 
in  its  commencement :  "  Peace,  plenty,  and  health  have 
presided  over  our  land;  -war  is  a  stranger;  and  famine 
and  the  pestilence  that  walketh  in  darkness  are  never  ex- 
perienced ;  instead  of  a  scarcity,  there  is  generally  a  su- 
perabundance of  subsistence,  an  excess  of  production. 
The  cordial  anxiety  of  Henry  IV,  of  France,  that  every 
peasant  in  his  kingdom  might  have  a  fowl  in  his  pot ;  and 
the  benevolent  prayer  of  a  sovereign  of  Great  Britain,  that 
his  poorest  subject  might  have  education  sufficient  to  read 
the  Bible,  were,  at  the  times  they  were  uttered,  considered 
chimeras  of  the  imagination.  In  this  fortunate  land  they 
are  realized,  so  far  as  they  apply,  in  the  fullest  latitude, 
and  to  the  utmost  extent ;  these  distinguished  dispensa- 
tions of  Divine  Providence  ought,  indeed,  to  fill  our  hearts 
with  gratitude,  and  our  lives  with  devotion  to  the  Author 
of  every  good  and  perfect  gift." 

In  this  connection,  it  may  be  remarked  that  Gov.  Clin- 
ton was  the  first  Governor  who  recommended  to  the  people 
of  this  State  days  of  public  thanksgiving,  a  custom  which 
has  been  happily  continued. 

And  he  concludes  that  last  message  with  the  following 
beautiful  and  impressive  exhortation :  "  We  are  inhabi- 
tants of  the  same  land,  children  of  the  same  country,  heirs 


XXXVl       SKETCH  OF  TOE  CLINTON  FAMILY. 

of  the  same  inheritance,  connected  by  identity  of  interest, 
similarity  of  language  and  community  of  descent,  by  the 
sympathies  of  religion,  and  by  all  the  ligaments  which 
now  bind  man  to  man  in  the  closest  bonds  of  friendship 
and  alliance.  Let  us  then  enter  on  the  discharge  of  our 
exalted  and  solemn  duties  by  a  course  of  conduct  worthy 
of  ourselves  and  our  country ;  which  will  deserve  the  ap- 
plause of  our  constituents,  insure  the  approbation  of  our 
own  consciences,  and  call  down  the  benediction  of  the 
Supreme  Ruler  of  the  Universe." 

On  the  11th  day  of  February,  1828,  De  Witt  Clinton 
died  suddenly.  He  had  been  in  attendance  during  the 
day  in  the  Executive  chamber,  had  returned  home  and 
written  several  letters,  and  while  in  his  study  conversing 
with  two  of  his  sons  he  complained  of  a  stricture  across 
his  breast,  and  almost  immediately  expired. 

His  death  called  forth  the  warmest  feelings  of  regret 
from  all  parts  of  the  State,  and  of  the  United  States  ;  and 
political  friends  and  opponents  united  in  expressions 
of  admiration  of  his  talents  and  great  public  services. 
The  people  of  New  York  might  certainly,  with  great 
cause,  lament  the  death  of  him  who  had  identified  himself 
so  closely  with  all  the  great  interests  of  the  State.  Apart 
from  the  system  of  internal  improvements,  there  is  scarce- 
ly an  institution  of  learning  or  benevolence  in  the  State 
that  he  did  not  advocate,  as  a  private  citizen  or  a  ruler ; 
scarcely  a  movement  or  an  enterprise  for  meliorating  the 


t;-? 


SKETCH    OF    THE    CLINTON    FAMILY.  XXXVll 

condition  of  the  unfortunate,  or  advancing  the  prosperity 
of  the  State  during  his  active  Hfe,  that  he  did  not  support 
with  his  utmost  personal  and  official  character. 

Few  men  had,  however,  more  bitter  political  enemies 
than  Mr.  Clinton ;  and  it  would  be  worse  than  idle  to^ 
assert,  that  there  v/as  no  cause  for  their  animosity.  He 
had  his  faults  of  character,  and  he  gave  cause  for  opposi- 
tion. That  opposition  and  that  animosity  were,  in  some 
instances,  carried  to  extremes,  and  recoiled  upon  the  heads 
of  their  authors  and  abettors.  Such  was  that  hostility 
which  removed  Mr.  Clinton  from  the  office  of  Canal  Com- 
missioner— when  the  people  rose  in  their  majesty,  and 
marked  their  displeasure  by  placing  him  in  the  chair  of 
state,  by  an  overwhelming  majority.  When  the  resolu- 
tion of  the  Senate  directing  the  removal  of  Mr.  Clinton 
came  into  the  Assembly,  Mr.  Cunningham,  a  member  of 
the  latter  body,  in  the  course  of  a  speech  replete  with 
eloquence,  observed :  "  When  the  contemptible  party 
strifes  of  the  present  day  shall  have  passed  by,  and  the 
political  bargainers  and  jugglers  who  now  hang  round  this 
capital  for  subsistence  shall  be  overwhelmed  and  forgotten 
in  their  own  insignificance — when  the  gentle  breeze  shall 
pass  over  the  tomb  of  that  great  man,  carrying  with  it  the 
just  tribute  of  honor  and  praise,  which  is  now  withheld, 
the  pen  of  the  future  historian,  in  better  days  and  in  bet- 
ter times,  will  do  him  justice,  and  erect  to  his  memory  a 
proud  monument  of  fame,  as  imperishable  as  the  splendid 


.      / 


XXXVlll  SKETCH    OF    THE    CLINTON    FAMILY. 

works  which  owe  their  origin  to  his  genius  and  perse- 
verance." 

That  better  day  has  not  yet  arrived,  though  it  is  a 
consolation  to  know  that  the  materials  for  the  pen  of 
the  historian  are  abundant.  The  mellowing  hand  of  time 
has  even  now  softened  and  removed  most  of  the  party  and 
political  asperities  of  the  times  of  De  Witt  Clinton.  It 
was  his  good  fortune^that  his  fame  rested  not  upon  the  basis 
of  party  success  or  political  triumph.  His  success  was  in 
the  efforts  of  talent,  and  genius,  and  perseverance  in  the 
promotion  of  education,  the  diffusion  of  benevolence,  and 
the  increase  of  wealth  and  prosperity.  His  triumph  was 
that  of  art  over  nature — in  the  creation  of  new  channels 
of  trade,  and  in  opening  new  fields  of  enterprise.  Neither 
his  successes  nor  his  triumphs  were  the  results  of  party 
ascendancy.  In  reference  to  the  cause  of  internal  im- 
provements, Mr.  Clinton  was,  doubtless,  much  favored  by 
an  early  acquaintance  with  the  condition  and  prospects  of 
the  central  and  western  parts  of  the  State.  His  grand- 
father, his  father,  and  his  uncle  had  all  been  officers  in  the 
Provincial  army,  and  the  two  latter  in  the  Continental 
army,  and  from  their  position  and  employment,  had  ex- 
tensive opportunities  of  becoming  familiar  with  the  na- 
tural advantages  possessed  by  the  State  for  the  construc- 
tion of  canals,  and  with  the  probable  effect  of  such 
improvements  upon  her  trade  and  population.  De  Witt 
^^        Clinton  did  not  claim  to  be  the  originator  of  these  State 


SKETCH    OF    THE    CLINTON    FAMILY.  XXXIX 

works.  But  it  was  mainly  owing  to  his  energy  and  per-  ^l/ 
severance  that  the  State  entered  upon  that  great  career 
of  prosperity.  In  the  language  of  one  of  his  friends  : — 
"In  the  great  work  of  internal  improvement  he  persevered 
through  good  report  and  through  evil  report,  with  a  stead- 
iness of  purpose  that  no  obstacle  could  divert ;  and  when 
all  the  elements  were  in  commotion  around  him,  and  even 
his  chosen  associates  were  appalled,  he  alone,  like  Colum- 
bus on  the  wide  waste  of  waters,  in  his  frail  bark,  with  a 
disheartened  and  unbelieving  crew,  remained  firm,  self- 
poised  and  unshaken." 


If  ma  Clinton. 


COLUMBIA  COLLEGE. 

ADDRESS  TO  THE  ALUMNI,   MAY,    1827. 


The  commune  vinculum,  as  applied  by  the  great  orator 
of  Rome  to  the  Uberal  arts  and  sciences,  may  be  properly 
extended  to  their  votaries  and  cultivators,  who,  whenever 
they  appear  and  wherever  they  exist,  are  combined  by 
kmdred  ties  and  congenial  pursuits,  into  one  great  intel- 
lectual community,  denominated  the  Republic  of  Letters. 
If  this  alliance  is  cultivated  with  so  much  zeal  and  with 
such  distinguished  honor  to  its  members,  with  how  much 
ardor  must  its  principles  be  cherished,  on  a  more  limited 
scale  and  with  more  concentrated  power,  by  those  disci- 
ples of  the  same  great  seminary,  who  have  derived  their 
intellectual  aliment  from  a  common  parent,  and  who  have 
received  their  education  from  the  same  source ;  all  who  are 
assembled  at  this  place,  and  on  this  occasion  must  feel  the 
full  force  and  bow  to  the  controlling  ascendancy  of  this 
sentiment ;  and  I  know  of  no  assemblage  which  is  better 
calculated  to  awaken  the  enthusiasm  of  our  youthful  days, 
and  to  brighten  the  rays  of  our  setting  sun,  than  a  conven- 
tion of  the  members  of  three  generations,  constituted  like 
1 


2  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

the  present,  and  called  to  sacrifice  under  the  protecting 
roof  of  our  Alma  Mater,  at  the  altar  of  science  andliterature^ 
to  recal  to  our  recollection  the  transporting  scenes  of  our 
Collegiate  lives,  and  to  realize  and  renew  those  friendships 
which  were  formed  in  youth,  and  will  last  as  long  as  the 
pulsations  of  the  heart  and  the  operations  of  memory. 

In  making  my  appearance  before  this  enlightened  and 
respectable  audience,  I  might  with  great  truth  find  ample 
room  for  apology  in  suggesting  the  little  time  which  my 
public  avocations  have  left  for  suitable  preparation,  but  I 
shall  rely  on  your  kind  consideration,  and  I  trust  that  you 
will  judge  of  me  by  my  motives,  not  by  my  performance ; 
and  when  I  assure  you  that  nothing  but  an  ardent  desire 
to  evince  my  respect  and  devotion  to  our  Alma  Mater 
could  have  induced  me  to  comply  with  your  request,  I 
feel  persuaded  that  you  will  overlook  every  deficiency,  and 
that,  in  recognizing  those  delightful  recollections  and  bril- 
liant anticipations  which  surround  her,  I  shall  not  be  deemed 
in  what  I  say,  entirely  undeserving  of  your  regard. 

The  germ  of  our  Alma  Mater  is  noticed  by  William 
Smith  in  his  interesting  continuation  of  our  Colonial  His- 
tory, which  the  public  spirit  of  our  Historical  Society  has 
given  to  the  world.  "  This  year"  (1732),  says  the  histo- 
rian, "  was  the  first  of  our  public  attention  to  the  education 
of  youth  ;  provision  was  then  made  for  the  first  time  to- 
support  a  Free  School,  for  teaching  the  Latin  and  Greek 
tongues  and  the  practical  branches  of  the  Mathematics,  un- 
der the  care  of  Mr.  Alexander  Malcolm,  of  Aberdeen,  the 
author  of  a  treatise  upon  Book-keeping.  The  measure  was 
patronized  by  the  Morris  family,  Mr.  Alexander,  and  Mr. 
Smith,  who  presented  a  petition  to  the  Assembly  for  that 
object.     Such  was  the  negligence  of  the  day,  that  an  in- 


COLUMBIA    COLLEGE.  3 

structor  could  not  find  bread  from  the  voluntary  contribu- 
tions of  the  inhabitants,  though  our  eastern  neighbors  had 
set  us  an  example  of  erecting  and  endowing  colleges  early 
in  the  last  century." 

The  Bill  for  this  school,  drafted  by  Mr.  Philipse,  the 
speaker,  and  brought  in  by  Mr.  Delancey,  had  this  singu- 
lar preamble  :  "  Whereas,  the  youth  of  this  Colony  are 
found,  by  manifold  experience,  to  be  not  inferior  in  their 
natural  geniuses  to  the  youth  of  any  other  country  in  the 
world,  therefore  be  it  enacted,  &c.''  It  appears  that  at  that 
early  period,  it  was  thought  necessary  to  vindicate  our 
country  against  the  degenerating  and  debasing  qualities 
which  have  been  since  so  liberally  imparted  to  it  by  Buf- 
fum,  and  De  Rue,  Raynal,  and  Robertson.  A  legislative 
declaration,  however  anomalous,  was  certainly  a  sufficient 
refutation  of  the  flimsy  philosophy  that  brought  forward  the 
accusation ;  and  as  manifold  experience  was  opposed  to 
visionary  speculation,  the  capacity  of  the  inhabitants  of 
New  York  for  education  was  put  into  a  train  of  high  pro- 
bation, which  has  terminated  in  the  most  pleasing  results. 
Permit  me  to  say,  that  I  cannot  reconcile  the  sensibility 
which  we  have  manifested  under  such  vituperations  with 
the  respect  which  we  owe  to  our  country.  Charges  so  un- 
founded are  beneath  the  dignity  of  refutation  ;  and  the 
country  which  has  been  called  the  land  of  swamps,  of  yel- 
low fever,  and  universal  suffrage,  requires  no  advocate  but 
truth,  and  no  friend  but  justice,  to  place  it  on  the  highest 
elevation  of  triumphant  vindication. 

This  praiseworthy  measure  was  the  harbinger  of  more 
enlarged  views  and  more  elevated  establishments  after 
many  struggles.  After  much  controversy  about  the  site 
and  the  organization  of  a  college,  involving  sectional  and 


DE    WITT    CLINTON. 


local  considerations,  and  referring  to  party  combinations, 
a  charter  for  King's  College  in  this  city,  was  granted  in 
1754,  upon  a  liberal  franchise.     In  four  years  afterwards, 
it  was  sufficiently  matured  for  the  conferring  of  degrees. 
The  city  of  New  York  did  not  contain  at  that  period,  ten 
thousand  inhabitants,  and  the  population  of  the  whole  colo- 
ny did  not  exceed  half  the  present  population  of  this  city. 
The  Faculty  of  Arts  was  composed  of  very  able  men,  and 
we  find  among  the  names  of  the  medical  profession,  persons 
who  would  even  in  the  present  improved  and  exalted  state 
of  that  profession,  rank  amongst  its  most  distinguished 
members.     The  civil  war,  which  terminated  in  American 
Independence,  broke  up  this  institution  after  a  brief  ex- 
istence of  eighteen  years,  during  which  time  about  one 
hundred  initiatory  degrees  were  conferred,  and  on  a  rapid 
inspection  of  the  printed  catalogue  with  a  very  limited 
knowledge  of  the  persons  mentioned  in  it,  I  am  persuaded 
that  the  truth  of  the  legislative  act  is  irresistibly  estabUshed, 
and  that  in  no  period  of  time,  nor  in  any  country  has  an 
institution   existed   so   fertile   of    enlightened,   able,    and 
talented  men,  within  so  small  a  portion  of  time  and  in  such 
a  small  population. 

Among  the  celebrated  Divines,  we  perceive  the  names  of 

Samuel  Provost,  Samuel  Seabury,  Benjamin  Moore,  Isaac 

Wilkins,  and  John  Verdill.     The  first  three  have  attained 

the  honors  of  the  miter,  and  have  always  ranked  high  as 

profound  scholars.     Wilkins  was  a  distinguished  writer  at 

the  commencement  of  the  Revolution,  and  the  publications 

ascribed  to  his  pen  have  the  stamp  of  genius  and  capacity. 

Verdill  was  a  professor  of  Natural  Law,  History,  and 

Languages  in  the  college  in  which  he  was  educated,  and 

was  also  noted  for  his  witty  effiisions  on  the  side  of  roy- 


COLUMBIA    COLLEGE. 


alty.     The  best  imitator  of  Butler  has  incorporated  their 
names  in  his  McFingall,  as  fit  subjects  for  retahation. 

Among  the  enlightened  Jurists  sprung  from  this  Semi- 
nary, we  recognise  with  pride  and  pleasure,  John  Jay,  Ro- 
bert R.  Livingston,  Governeur  Morris,  Richard  Harrison, 
Peter  Van  Schaick,  and  Robert  Troup.     The  first  three 
were   distinguished  in  the  public   councils  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  Revolution.    Livingston  was  one  of  the 
committee  that  drafted  the  Declaration  of  Independence, 
and  a  man  of  various  knowledge  and  splendid  eloquence. 
Jay  took  a  leading  part  in  the  celebrated  State  Papers 
which  emanated  from  the  first  Congress,  and  which  drew 
forth  the  following  panegyric  from  the  great  Chatham : 
"  When  your  lordships  look  at  the  papers  transmitted  to 
us  from  America,  when  you  consider  their  decency,  firm- 
ness, and  wisdom,  you  cannot  but  respect  their  cause  and 
wish  to  make  it  your  own.     For  myself,  I  must  declare 
and  avow,  that  in  all  my  reading  and  observation,  and  it 
has  been  my  favorite  study  (I  have  read  Thucydides  and 
have  studied  and  admired  the  master  States  of  the  world), 
that  for  solidity  of  reasoning,  force  of  sagacity,  and  wis- 
dom of  conclusion,  under  such  a  complication  of  difficult 
circumstances,  no  nation  or  body  of  men  can  stand  in 
preference  to  the  general  Congress  at  Philadelphia."*    Jay, 
Livingston,  and  Morris,  were  among  the  most  active  and 
enlightened  members  that  formed  the  first  State  Constitu- 

*  Dr.  Samuel  Johnson,  the  Colossus  of  British  Literature  and  a 
man  of  gigantic  mind,  undertook  to  answer  the  address  of  Congress. 
Compare  this  work  entitled  "  Taxation  no  Tyranny"  with  the  publi- 
cations it  pretended  to  answer— how  great  the  contrast— the  Giant 
dwindles  into  a  Dwarf,  and  American  talent  shines  with  proud  supe- 
riority above. 


6  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

tion.  The  former  was  our  first  Chief- Justice,  and  a  charge 
of  his  in  that  character  to  a  Grand  Jury  of  Ulster  County- 
is,  perhaps,  one  of  the  most  able  and  impressive  papers  pub- 
lished in  those  eventful  times.  Morris's  intellectual  cha- 
racter was  distinguished  by  versatile  and  great  qualities — 
his  colloquial  powers  were  unrivalled — at  the  Bar  or  in 
the  Senate  he  was  pre-eminent — he  united  wit,  logic,  pa- 
thos, and  intelligence,  and  he  wielded  the  passions  and 
feelings  of  his  audience  at  pleasure.  Harrison  and  Van 
Schaick  are  still  with  us ;  and  as  I  despise  flattery  of  the 
living  as  much  as  I  do  gilding  over  the  tombs  of  the  de- 
parted, I  shall  say  nothing  that  can  subject  me  to  the  for- 
mer imputation  when  I  say,  that  no  country  can  produce 
two  men  more  deeply  versed  in  classic  lore  or  more  pro- 
foundly acquainted  with  law.  Troup  was  a  meritorious 
soldier  of  the  Revolution,  and  his  transition  from  the  camp 
to  the  bar  has  detracted  nothing  from  his  well-earned 
claims  to  respect.  Alexander  Hamilton,  so  well  known 
for  his  great  talents,  was  also  a  student  of  this  college  be- 
fore the  Revolution,  and  before  he  could  attain  its  honors 
it  was  broken  up.  Although  greatly  attached  to  the  learn- 
ed President,  Dr.  Cooper,  yet  he  had  at  that,  as  at  all  other 
times,  the  independence  to  think  and  act  for  himself  And 
he  differed  from  his  friend  and  wrote  an  article  in  favor 
of  American  Liberty.  At  that  time  the  peace  of  the  city 
was  troubled  by  the  conflicts  of  contending  parties,  and 
when  an  assemblage,  greatly  enraged  at  the  anti-revolu- 
tionary course  of  President  Cooper,  collected  before  this 
building  and  had  marked  him  out  as  an  object  of  aggres- 
sion, Hamilton  placed  himself  in  the  gap  between  the  peo- 
ple and  his  preceptor,  addressed  the  former  from  the  ves- 
tibule of  this  building,  and  delayed  their  measures  until  the 


COLUMBIA    COLLEGE. 


latter  had  time  to  escape  from  their  fury.  The  poetical 
effusion  ascribed  to  the  President  on  this  occasion,  reflects 
great  honor  on  his  sensibility  and  genius,  and  commends, 
in  appropriate  strains,  the  merits  of  his  friend  and  pupil. 

It  may  be  said  of  learning  as  of  law,  "  Inter  arma,  leges 
silent," — in  the  clash  of  contending  armies  and  amid  the 
groans  of  the  wounded  and  the  dying,  the  interests  of  edu- 
cation are  sacrificed — the  pacific  virtues  take  their  flight 
from  the  earth — the  olive  is  stained  with  human  blood, 
and  the  sanguinary  laurel  is  the  emblem  and  the  reward 
of  imputed  greatness.  This  edifice  was  for  many  years  a 
hospital  for  the  British  army ;  and  when  for  the  first  time 
I  visited  the  venerable  building,  it  was  just  abandoned  in 
that  state.  The  genius  of  calamity  and  desolation  appear- 
ed to  have  taken  possession  of  its  apartments ;  its  floors 
were  strewed  with  medical  prescriptions,  its  walls  were 
tinged  with  blood,  and  every  echo  of  your  passing  foot- 
steps sounded  to  the  perturbed  imagination  like  the  mur- 
murs of  the  dying  or  the  complaints  of  departed  spirits. 
During  the  Revolutionary  War,  education  was  almost  to- 
tally lost  sight  of.  An  academy  at  Kingston  was,  I  believe, 
the  only  seminary  in  the  State,  and  almost  all  the  young 
men  desirous  of  classical  education  resorted  to  that  useful 
institution. 

Having  thus,  like  Grey  the  poet,  taken  a  distant  view 
of  our  Alma  Mater,  we  are  able,  as  we  approach  the  times 
in  which  we  live,  and  can  refer  to  events  and  scenes  with- 
in our  recollection,  to  institute  a  more  accurate  inspec- 
tion, and  to  develop  the  characters  and  measures  con- 
nected with  its  history,  gratifying  at  once  to  our  pride 
and  filial  affection.  And  I  trust  that  whether  we  look  at 
the  qualities  of  our  parent,  in  the  aggregate  or  in  detail,  at 


8  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

a  distance  or  at  near  approach,  we  will  have  reason  to 
say — 

"  Not  more  rever'd  the  hallow"d  bow'rs, 

Where  Truth  distiU'd  from  Plato's  honeyed  tongue, 
Nor  those  fair  scenes  where  TuUy's  happier  hours 
In  philosophic  leisure  fled  along." 

As  soon  as  the  War  of  Independence  terminated,  the  at- 
tention of  the  statesmen  and  patriots,  who  had  conducted 
us  triumphantly  through  the  storms  of  the  revolution,  was 
turned  to  the  revival  of  letters,  the  restoration  of  the  lights 
of  education,  and  the  establishment  of  the  Temple  of  Li- 
berty upon  the  foundation  of  knowledge.  In  1784,  a  Board 
was  instituted,  denominated  the  Regents  of  the  Univer- 
sity, with  a  superintending  and  visitorial  power  over  Co- 
lumbia College,  and  all  future  colleges  and  academies  in- 
corporated by  that  body.  This  Board  was  composed  of 
the  principal  officers  of  Government  and  various  distin- 
guished citizens.  On  the  17th  of  May  of  that  year,  the 
first  student  was  admitted  into  Columbia  College,  under 
the  new  order  of  things.  The  Regents  of  the  University 
attended  the  examination  in  person,  so  important  at  that 
period  did  the  Fathers  of  the  Republic  consider  it,  to  coun- 
tenance the  incipient  efforts  in  favor  of  intellectual  im- 
provement. I  may  say,  I  trust  without  the  imputation  of 
egotism,  that  I  was  the  first  student  and  among  the  first 
graduates  of  this  our  Alma  Mater  on  its  revival ;  and  I  shall 
never  forget  the  reverential  impression  made  on  my  youth- 
ful mind,  by  the  condescension  and  devotion  to  education 
of  the  great  men  who,  at  that  time,  presided  over  the  inte- 
rests of  the  University.  In  the  course  of  a  few  months 
our  numbers  were  increased.  Instructors  were  appointed, 
and  apartments  in  the  old  City  Hall  were  provided  for 


COLUMBIA    COLLEGE.  9 

the  temporary  accommodation  of  the  College,  until  it  was 
rendered  fit  for  our  reception.  No  President  was  appoint- 
ed for  some  years  afterwards ;  and  in  the  meantime  it  was 
thought  expedient  to  resort  to  Europe,  and  William  Coch- 
ran, a  native  of  Ireland,  and  an  Alumnus  of  Trinity  Col- 
lege, was  appointed  a  professor  of  the  Greek  and  Latin 
languages ;  and  John  Kemp,  a  graduate  of  Aberdeen  Col- 
lege, professor  of  Mathematics,  and  afterwards  of  Natural 
Philosophy.  Cochran,  although  an  admirable  scholar, 
was  at  first  disliked  for  hauteur  of  demeanor,  which,  in 
course  of  time,  was  softened  down  into  the  courteous  be- 
havior of  an  accomplished  gentleman.  Kemp  was  sud- 
denly transferred  from  the  monastic  seclusions  of  a  col- 
lege life  to  the  busy  and  arduous  engagements  of  profes- 
sor ;  and  he  was  called  upon  to  act  with  little  experience 
of  the  world,  with  a  total  ignorance  of  the  American 
character,  and  before  the  angular  points  and  rough  pro- 
tuberances of  a  scholar  were  smoothed  down  by  an  in- 
tercourse with  the  world.  His  great  science  sustained 
him  under  this  load  of  difficulties,  and  his  popularity  and 
usefulness  increased  with  the  progress  of  time.  The  Rev. 
Dr.,  afterwards  Bishop  Moore,  was  appointed  professor  of 
Rhetoric  and  Logic ;  and  the  composition  and  delivery  of 
his  lectures  were  received  with  more  than  usual  interest, 
and  with  the  most  respectful  attention.  All  who  ap- 
proached him  were  enchanted  with  the  sincerity  of  his 
manners  and  with  the  dignity  of  his  conduct.  And  few 
men  ever  possessed  a  more  controling  ascendency  over 
the  hearty  of  his  pupils.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Gross,  a  native  of 
Germany,  who  had  received  a  finished  education  in  her 
celebrated  schools,  was  a  professor  of  the  German  language 
and  Geography,  and  afterwards  a  professor  of  Moral  Phi- 


10  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

losophy.  He  had  migrated  to  this  country  before  the 
Revolution  and  settled  near  the  banks  of  the  Mohawk,  in 
a  frontier  country,  peculiarly  exposed  to  irruptions  from 
Canada  and  the  hostile  Indians.  When  war  commenced, 
he  took  the  side  of  America ;  and,  enthroned  in  the  hearts 
of  his  countrymen,  and  distinguished  for  the  courage 
which  marks  the  German  character,  he  rallied  the  de- 
sponding, animated  the  wavering,  confirmed  the  doubtful, 
and  encouraged  the  brave  to  more  than  ordinary  exer- 
tion. With  the  Bible  in  one  hand  and  the  sword  in  the 
other,  he  stood  forth  in  the  united  character  of  patriot 
and  Christian,  vindicating  the  liberties  of  mankind ;  and 
amidst  the  most  appalling  dangers  and  the  most  awful 
vicissitudes,  like  the  red  cross  Knight  of  the  Fairy  Queen, 

"  Right  faithful  true  he  was  in  deed  and  word." 

This  venerable  man  has  long  since  descended  to  the 
tomb.  He  was'  almost  idolized  by  his  pupils  while  hving, 
and  he  is  now  embalmed  in  their  hearts.  His  lectures 
on  ]Moral  Philosophy  were  substantially  sound  and  useful, 
although  tinctured  with  the  metaphysical  subtleties  of 
Leibnitz  and  Wolfe,  from  whom  he  derived  the  substra- 
tum of  his  system.  If  my  memory  serves  me,  it  was  de- 
duced from  two  principles  :  one  denominated  the  princi- 
ple of  sufficient  reason,  and  the  other  the  principle  of 
contradiction.  The  foundation  was  perhaps  too  feeble 
for  the  edifice,  and  the  conclusions  more  solid  than  the 
premises.  And  when  the  lecturer  undertook  to  inculcate 
the  comfortable  doctrine,  that  this  is  the  best  possible 
world — a  doctrine  borrowed  from  Leibnitz,  recognized  by 
Pope  in  his  Essay  on  Man,  and  referred  to  by  Voltaire 
in  his  Optimist — we  can,  at  this  distance  of  time,  dis- 


COLUMBIA    COLLEGE.  11 

tinctly  recollect,  that  although  not  received  with  implicit 
acquiescence,  it  did  not  derogate  from  the  profound  re- 
spect of  his  audience. 

Dr.  Samuel  Bard,  an  eminent  physician,  and  who  had 
been  professor  of  the  Theory  and  Practice  of  Medicine 
under  the  Royal  Charter,  undertook  to  fill,  temporarily, 
the  ofiice  of  professor  of  Natural  Philosophy  and  Astro- 
nomy. His  professional  engagements  were  numerous 
and  arduous,  and  years  had  elapsed  since  he  had  been 
conversant  in  these  sciences ;  he,  therefore,  commenced 
under  peculiar  disadvantages,  and  solely  and  exclusively 
to  aid  the  interests  of  education.  The  abstractions  of  a 
mind  thus  deeply  engaged,  were  frequently  misunderstood ; 
and  it  was  some  time  before  his  amiable  character  was 
fully  developed,  and  before  he  occupied  that  place  to 
which  he  was  entitled  in  the  love  and  esteem  of  his  dis- 
ciples. But  as  long  as  literature  has  a  friend,  and  science 
an  advocate,  the  name  of  Samuel  Bard  will  be  identified 
with  some  of  the  best  and  wisest  measures  to  spread 
the  benefits  of  the  healing  art,  to  diffuse  the  lights  of 
knowledge,  and  to  subserve  the  essential  interests  of  our 
country. 

Under  the  guidance  of  these  eminent  professors,  our 
Alma  Mater  lifted  up  her  head  and  flourished.  In  course 
of  time,  Peter  Wilson  was  installedjas  professor  of  the 
Greek  and  Latin  languages.  His  abilities  as  a  teacher, 
his  profound  and  critical  knowledge  of  classical  literature, 
his  revered  character,  were  the  accompaniments  of  great 
prosperity  to  the  College  ;  and  the  improvements  engrafted 
into  this  important  department,  have  furnished  perhaps 
the  best  school  for  a  knowledge  of  the  learned  languages 
on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic. 


12  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

It  would  perhaps  be  an  unpardonable  omission,  not  to 
state  that  Dr.  Henry  Moyes  was  also  appointed  professor 
of  Natural  History  and  Chemistry,  although  he  never 
officiated  in  the  College.  As  a  lecturer,  he  was  exceed- 
ingly popular,  and  although  blind  from  his  birth,  his  ma- 
nipulations were  wonderfully  accurate.  He  came  to  this 
country  with  the  new  lights  of  Chemistry,  discovered  by 
Black,  Priestley,  Cavendish,  and  Lavosiere. 

He  adhered,  however,  to  the  nomenclature  of  Chemis- 
try in  its  imperfect  state,  as  originally  adopted  by  Priest- 
ley. But  he  has  the  singular  merit  of  sowing  the  first 
seeds  of  this  science  in  this  country,  redeemed  from  the 
follies  of  alchemy,  the  visions  of  elixirs  and  transmuta- 
tions, and  founded  on  the  experimental  science  of  Bacon, 
the  chief  of  modern  philosophers. 

In  1787,  an  important  change  took  place  in  the  organi- 
zation of  the  University.  The  Regents  were  divested  of 
the  immediate  government  of  the  colleges  and  academies, 
which  was  intrusted  to  distinct  Boards  of  Trustees,  and 
this  arrangement  enabled  the  latter  Boards  to  devote  their 
particular  attention  to  the  institutions  under  their  care. 
On  the  11th  of  April,  1786,  the  first  commencement  was 
held,  and  the  first  degrees  conferred.  At  that  time,  the 
population  of  this  city  did  not  amount  to  24,000  persons. 
In  the  course  of  forty  years  it  has  increased  to  180,000. 
And  the  population  of  the  whole  State  has  augmented  in 
the  usual  ratio  of  ten  to  one,  which  by  a  singular  coinci- 
dence, has  also  occurred  in  the  cities  of  London  and 
Philadelphia.  Our  Alma  Mater  has  been  increasing  in 
numbers  and  extending  in  usefulness  ;  and  although  three 
colleges,  and  perhaps  forty  academies,  have  since  been 


COLUMBIA    COLLEGE.  frS 

constituted,  still,  as  true   and   faithful  Alumni,  we   are 
bound  to  maintain,  that  ours,  like  the  Julian  star, 

Micat  inter  omnes, 

velut  inter  ignes, 

luna  minores. 

Our  Alma  Mater  has,  since  her  origin,  been  embarrassed 
by  many  difficulties,  and  has  had  to  contend  with  the 
most  serious  opposition.  At  the  first  institution,  she  had 
to  enter  the  lists  with  two  excellent  and  pre-established 
colleges — Yale  on  the  one  side,  and  Nassau  Hall  on  the 
other.  Her  endowments  were  disproportioned  to  her 
exigencies.  The  controversies  about  our  independence 
entered  into  her  walls,  and  the  horn  of  civil  discord  was 
even  sounded  in  the  retreats  of  science  and  the  temples 
of  education.  From  the  first  period  of  her  existence,  she 
was  viewed  with  apprehension  by  the  prying  eyes  of  sec- 
tarian jealousy — how  improperly,  we  can  all  testify ;  and 
we  also  know  with  what  shameful  illiberality  this  spirit 
was  exerted  in  late  years,  to  defeat  the  contemplated 
bounty  of  the  State.  And  permit  me  to  add,  and  to  add 
with  a  most  perfect  contempt  of  unworthy  prejudices 
against  foreigners,  that  since  our  professors  have  been 
of  native  growth,  our  institution  has  experienced  her 
present  fullness  of  prosperity.  And  this  must  not  be 
understood  as  proceeding  from  any  defects  of  character 
or  education,  but  from  ignorance  of  the  American  charac- 
ter, which,  like  our  language,  is  difficult  to  be  compre- 
hended by  strangers.  This  knowledge  is  essential  to  per- 
sons engaged  in  education ;  and  men,  not  without  great 
claims  to  talent  and  perspicacity,  have  resided  for  years 
among  us,  and  have  remained  as  ignorant  of  our  national 


14  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

character,  as  on  the  day  of  their  arrival.  The  sturdy 
spirit  of  liberty  which  distinguishes  our  youth,  and  the 
precocity  of  manly  demeanor  which  marks  them  from 
their  first  advent  into  our  schools,  will  not  tolerate  the 
stern  infliction  of  exotic  discipline.  The  spirit  of  educa- 
tion must  be  bent  to  the  spirit  of  its  objects,  or  the  paths 
of  instruction  will  be  strewed  with  thorns  and  briars. 
The  son  of  an  American  citizen  will  not  submit  to  the 
same  rigor  of  treatment,  that  is  inflicted  on  the  sons  of 
vassals  and  subjects.  Like  the  American  lawyers  de- 
scribed by  Burke,  he  augurs  misgovernment  at  a  distance, 
and  snuffs  in  the  approach  of  tyranny  in  every  tainted 
breeze. 

All  our  professors  and  our  most  respectable  President, 
are  indigenous  plants,  and  their  fostering  superintendence 
and  powers  of  instruction  are  felt  in  the  flourishing  state 
of  our  Alma  Mater.  Never  did  she  stand  on  higher 
ground,  with  a  more  commanding  aspect,  and  on  a  firmer 
foundation.  Her  prospects  are  brilliant,  and  her  numbers 
are  increasing,  and  will  increase  with  the  augmented 
population  of  the  State.  In  the  midst  of  a  populous  city, 
she  can  derive  sufficient  support  from  it  alone.  During 
the  last  year  she  had  under  her  care  127  students.  The 
three  other  Colleges  embraced  310. 

Situated  at  the  confluence  of  all  the  great  navigable 
communications  of  the  State,  from  the  shores  of  the  At- 
lantic to  the  northern  and  western  lakes,  she  presents 
every  facility  of  economical  and  rapid  access.  Placed  in 
the  very  focus  of  all  the  great  moneyed  and  commercial 
operations  of  America,  where  agriculture  pours  forth  her 
stores  of  plenty,  where  manufactures  transmit  their  fa- 
brics, where  internal  trade  and  foreign  commerce  delight 


COLUMBIA    COLLEGE.  Ifit 

to  dwell  and  accumulate  riches,  where,  in  short,  every 
man  that  wishes  to  buy  or  to  sell  to  advantage,  will  natu- 
rally resort,  what  site  can  furnish  a  stronger  invitation  to 
a  participation  in  education  ?  Here,  too,  you  will  have 
the  most  distinguished  divines,  the  most  able  jurists,  the 
most  skilful  physicians.  Here  will  men  of  science  and 
ingenious  artists  fix  their  abode, — and  also  talented  men 
who  will  devote  themselves  to  vernacular  literature. 
Whoever  wealth  can  tempt,  knowledge  allure,  or  the 
delights  of  polished  and  refined  society  attract,  will  oc- 
casionally visit  or  permanently  reside  in  this  great  empo- 
rium. Every  inducement  that  an  institution  can  present, 
whether  for  the  acquisition  of  knowledge,  the  refinement 
of  manners,  or  the  exaltation  of  character,  is  here  fur- 
nished with  unsparing  liberality. 

Unless  some  extraordinary  visitation  of  calamity,  dis- 
tracts and  deranges  the  natural  current  of  events,  and 
blights  the  purest  prospects  of  greatness,  this  city  will,  ere 
the  lapse  of  a  century,  extend  itself  over  the  whole  island, 
and  cover  the  shores  of  the  adjacent  rivers  and  bays  with 
an  exuberant  population  of  more  than  a  million,  and  alone 
will  furnish  a  correspondent  number  of  students  ;  and 
with  immense  means  of  patronage  and  endowments,  we 
may  fondly  anticipate,  that  before  the  expiration  of  a  cen- 
tury, Columbia  College  will  stand  upon  an  equal  footing 
with  the  most  celebrated  Universities  of  the  Old  World. 

By  the  last  returns,  the  four  Colleges  of  the  State  con- 
tained 437  students  ;  thirty-three  incorporated  academies, 
2,440  ;  and  8,144  common  schools,  431,601.  Add  to  this 
last  the  number  taught  in  private  institutions,  and  we  may 
calculate,  without  the  charge  of  exaggeration,  that  460,000 
human  beings  are  at  this  hour,  in  this  State,  enjoying  the 


16  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

benefits  of  education.  From  the  apex  to  the  base  of  this 
glorious  pyramid  of  intellectual  improvement,  we  perceive 
an  intimacy  of  connection,  and  identity  of  interest,  a  com- 
munity of  action  and  reaction,  a  system  of  reciprocated 
benefits,  that  cannot  but  fill  us  with  joy  and  make  us  proud 
of  our  country. 

The  National  School  Society  of  Great  Britain,  educates 
but  330,000  children  annually ;  and  there  is  no  state  or 
country  that  can  vie  with  our  common  school  establish- 
ment, and  the  number  of  its  pupils — I  wish  I  could  add,  in 
the  merits  of  its  teaching.  We  want  an  extension  of  the 
system,  to  higher  and  other  objects  of  instruction.  We 
want  a  corps  of  educated  instructors — we  want  gratuitous 
instruction  in  our  academies  and  colleges.  The  dii  mino- 
rum  of  learning  ought  to  be  elevated  in  the  scale  of  public 
estimation  and  intellectual  endowment.  For  from  their 
hands  the  rude  materials  of  the  mind  must  receive  their 
first  polish  of  usefulness  and  improvement ;  and  our  depots 
of  general  instruction,  like  the  speaking-bird  of  Asiatic 
fiction,  which  gathered  around  it  all  the  singing-birds  of  I 
the  land,  ought  to  contain  all  the  youth  of  the  country 
that  are  fit  for  improvement.  Like  the  Indicator  of  Or- 
nithology, that  leads  the  way  to  the  collected  tenantry  of 
the  forest,  they  must  and  will  conduct  us  to  the  higher  en- 
joyments of  knowledge  ;  they  will  act  to  us  as  pioneers 
to  delights,  which  nothing  but  intellectual  pursuits  can 
communicate. 

With  the  learning  taught  in  the  ancient  universities, 
this  seminary  has  most  felicitously  adapted  its  instruction 
to  the  improvements  and  discoveries  of  modern  times,  and 
has  embraced  the  benefits  of  both  within  its  comprehen- 
sive arms.     The  exact  sciences  are  sedulously  attended  to, 


COLUMBIA    COLLEGE.  j-j- 

as  well  as  classical   literature  ;    Political  Economy   and 
Natural  Science,  are  held  in  merited  estimation.     And  we 
may  feel  assured,  even  if  we  embark  in  public  life  that 
sooner  or  later,  we  will  feel  the  importance  and  appreciate 
the  value  of  our  college  acquisitions.     When  the  pensioner 
John  De  Witt,  who  was  in  his  early  life  an  enthusiastic 
devotee   of  the  Mathematics,    Was  tauntingly  asked    of 
what  use  they  were   to  him  then,  as,  in  the  active  scenes 
in  which  he  had  been  since  engaged,  he  must  have  lost  all 
his  knowledge  of  them ;  his  reply  contained  a  volume  of 
wisdom.    They  have  passed,  said  he,  from  my  memory  to 
my  judgment.     When  Hamilton  was  called  on  to  preside 
over  the  finances  of  the  United   States,  he  stood  in  the 
same  position,  and  he  felt  relieved  by  availing  himself,  in 
his  calculations,  of  the  great  science  of  Professor  Kemp. 
Besides,  these  abstract  investigations  strengthen  the  gene- 
ral tone  of  the  mind,  teach  habits  of  patient  and  deliberate   ' 
inquiry,  and  communicate  the  same  vigor  to  the  under- 
standing, that  severe  exercise  does  to  the  body. 

I  am  well  aware  that  there  is  a  sect  in  this  country 
which  extends  its  influence,  more  or  less,  into  all  the  rami- 
fications of  society,  that  explodes  all  kinds  of  knowledo-e 
not  founded  on  personal  experience  ;  which  inculcates  that 
Ignorance  is  the  summum  honum  ;  that  the  less  one  reads 
the  more  he  thinks,  and  that  the  less  he  understands,  the 
better  he  can  act ;  that  education  beyond  the  precincts  of 
common  schools  is  allied  to  aristocracy,  and  incompatible 
with  natural  equality  ;  and  that  the  youth  who  sprino-  from 
our  colleges,  and  who  enter  into  the  liberal  professions 
would  be  more  serviceable  to  mankind,  if  they  had  been 
confined  to  those  habits  and  acquisitions  which  distinguish 
the  quacks,  the  empirics,  and  the  charlatans  of  the  com- 


18  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

munity — wiih  them,  Giles  Jacob,  the  pest  of  grammar 
and  the  blunderbuss  of  law,  is  superior  to  Blackstone  or 
Kent ;  and  the  works  of  Buchanan  or  Thompson,  to  the 
lucubrations  of  the  great  medical  men  that  adorn  our 
country ; — but,  above  all  things,  that  the  true  states- 
man ought  to  be  like  the  genuine  empiric,  and  rely  exclu- 
sively upon  his  own  experience  and  observation  for  his 
chart  and  compass  ;  that  he  ought  to  be  preferred  if  his 
name  is  "  nulla  cognicione  rerum,  nulla  scientia  ornatus ;" 
and  that  a  liberal  education  will  be  a  stumbling-block  in 
the  way  of  his  progress,  by  diverting  his  attention  from 
the  weighty  concerns  of  the  republic,  to  the  pursuits  of 
scientific  investigation.  For  the  honor  of  the  country 
the  advocates  of  these  heresies  are  diminishing  in  number, 
and  insignificant  in  influence  ;  and  as  our  country  advances 
«» in  her  career  of  light,  they  will  be  extinguished  by  the 
lustre  of  her  radiated  and  reflected  glory.  The  benefits  of 
education  have  been  gradually  rising  in  human  estimation, 
from  those  dark  days  when  kings  could  not  write  their 
names,  to  the  present  time.  There  was  a  period  when 
writing  was  confined  exclusively  to  the  clergy,  and  when 
the  man  who  could  write  his  name  was  exempted  from  the 
punishment  of  death ;  and  the  value  attached  to  this  ac- 
quisition is  well  illustrated  in  the  Arabian  tale,  which  ele- 
vates an  unfortunate  Prince  enchanted  into  an  ape,  to  the 
ofiice  of  a  Grand  Vizier  of  an  Asiatic  Sultan,  on  account 
of  his  chirography. 

That  knowledge  is  power — that  education  is  the  citadel 
of  liberty — that  national  glory  and  prosperity  consist  in 
the  cultivation  of  the  sciences,  in  the  elevation  of  the 
liberal  arts,  in  the  extension  of  the  powers  of  productive 
industry,  are  now  considered  as  admitted  truths  and  ac- 


COLUMBIA    COLLEGE.  jg 

knowledged  axioms.  Those  vampyres  of  the  mind  who 
derive  their  aliment  from  human  ignorance,  are  viewed  in 
their  true  colors ;  and  as  a  refulgent  light  maintains  the 
same  splendor  when  it  illumes  a  wider  space,  so  does  in- 
tellectual improvement,  the  fountain  of  national  greatness 
enlarge  and  extend  itself,  without  being  displaced  ;  and 
contrary  to  the  general  laws  of  nature,  the  wider  it  spreads 
the  stronger  it  grows. 

The  days  of  delight  which  sprung  from  our  academic 
lives,  and  which  may  be  considered  as  intercalations  of 
felicity  m  our  varied  being  of  good  and  evil,  have  passed 
away  never  to  return.  But  they  have  left  us  important 
duties  to  perform— duties  of  indispensable  obligation  and 
fertile  with  momentous  results.  Let  us,  then,  marshal  our- 
selves, like  a  Macedonian  phalanx,  in  favor  of  our  schools 
of  instruction,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest.  The  smallest 
effort  may  produce  good;  and,  like  the  seed  mentioned  in 
Holy  Writ,  although  the  least  of  all  seeds,  may  grow  up 
among  the  greatest  of  herbs  and  become  a  tree,  so  that 
the  birds  of  the  air  may  lodge  in  its  branches. 


Intrrnnl  lm|irotifmmte. 


On  the  5th  of  January,  1791,  Gov.  George  Clinton, 
in  his  Annual  Message,  thus  first  broaches  the  subject  of 
Internal  Improvements  by  the  State  : 

"  Our  frontier  settlements,  freed  from  apprehensions  of 
danger,  are  rapidly  increasing  and  must  soon  yield  exten- 
sive resources  for  profitable  commerce  ;  this  consideration 
forcibly  recommends  the  pohcy  of  continuing  to  facilitate 
the  means  of  communication  with  them,  as  well  to 
strengthen  the  bands  of  society  as  to  prevent  the  produce 
of  those  fertile  districts  from  being  diverted  to  other 
markets." 

On  the  5th  of  January,  1792,  Gov.  Clinton,  in  his  An- 
nual Message  for  that  year,  thus  refers  to  this  subject : 

"  The  Legislature,  at  their  last  meeting,  impressed  with 
the  importance  of  improving  the  means  of  communication, 
not  only  to  the  agriculture  and  commerce  of  the  State, 
but  even  to  the  influence  of  the  laws,  directed  the  Com- 
missioners of  the  Land  Office  to  cause  the  ground  between 
the  Mohawk  river  and  the  Wood  creek  in  the  county  of 
Herkimer,  also  between  the  Hudson  river  and  the  Wood 
creek,  in  the  county  of  Washington,  to  be  explored  and 
surveyed,  and  estimates  to  be  formed  of  the  expense  of 
joining  those  waters  by  canals.  I  now  submit  to  you  their 
report  which  ascertains  the  practicability  of  effecting  this 
object  at  a  very  moderate  expense,  and  I  trust  that  a  mea- 


22  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

sure  so  interesting  to  the  community,  will  continue  to  com- 
mand the  attention  due  to  its  importance,  and  especially, 
as  the  resources  of  the  State  will  prove  adequate  to  these 
and  other  useful  improvements  without  the  aid  of  taxes." 

On  the  7th  of  January,  1794,  Gov.  Clinton  again  recurs 
to  this  subject : 

"  The  northern  and  w^estern  companies  of  inland  lock 
navigation,  having,  agreeably  to  law,  produced  authentic 
accounts  of  their  expenditures,  I  have  given  the  necessary 
certificate  to  entitle  them  to  receive  from  the  Treasury  the 
sum  of  ten  thousand  pounds,  as  a  free  gift  on  the  part  of 
this  State  towards  the  prosecution  of  those  interesting  ob- 
jects. Although  the  care  of  improving  and  opening  these 
navigations  be  committed  to  private  companies,  they  will 
require,  and  no  doubt  from  time  to  time  receive,  from  the 
Legislature,  every  fostering  aid  and  patronage  commensu- 
rate to  the  great  public  advantages  which  must  result  from 
the  improvement  of  the  means  of  intercourse." 

Thus  was  foreshadowed  by  that  sturdy  old  patriot,  the 
first  Governor  of  our  State,  and  the  man  who,  perhaps, 
more  than  any  other,  exerted  the  greatest  influence  upon 
her  then  future  destiny,  that  system  of  improvements  suc- 
cessfully carried  out  under  the  administration  of  his  illus- 
trious nephew. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  in  1789,  that  nephew,  De 
Witt  Clinton,  was  appointed  the  private  Secretary  of  the 
Governor,  and  continued  to  hold  that  close  and  confiden- 
tial relation  down  to  1795,  and  during  the  period  of  the 
three  annual  meetings  of  the  Legislature  to  whom  the 
Messages  were  addressed,  from  which  the  foregoing  ex- 
tracts are  taken.  That  the  thoughts  of  him  who,  in  the 
language  of  an  eloquent  divine  of  our  State,   "  was  able 


v 


INTERNAL  IMPROVEMENTS.  23 

not  only  to  fix  some  impress  of  his  mind  on  most  of  the 
institutions  under  which  we  live,  but  also  to  grave  the 
memorial  of  his  being  on  the  bosom  of  the  earth  on  which 
we  tread,  and  in  lines,  too,  so  bold  and  so  indelible  that 
they  may,  and  probably  will,  continue  legible  to  successive 
generations,"  that  his  thoughts  were  early,  and  even 
then  turned  attentively  upon  this  subject,  there  can  be  but 
little  doubt. 

Who  can  tell  what  visions  of  the  future  crowded  upon 
the  brilliant  imagination  of  the  youthful  statesman,  as  his 
pen  copied  out  the  Messages  referred  to  ?  In  one  of  his 
addresses  during  this  period  in  1794,  De__Witt  .Clinton 
thus  speaks :  -^ 

"  Great  improvements  must  also  take  place  which  far  / 
surpass  the  momentum  of  power  that  a  single  nation  can 
produce,  but  will  with  facility  proceed  from  their  united 
strength.  The  hand  of  art  will  change  the  face  of  the 
universe.  Mountains,  deserts,  and  oceans  will  feel  its 
mighty  force.  It  will  not  then  be  debated  whether  hills 
shall  be  prostrated,  but  whether  the  Alps  and  the  Andes 
shall  be  levelled ;  nor  whether  sterile  fields  shall  be  fertil- 
ized, but  whether  the  deserts  of  Africa  shall  feel  the  power 
of  cultivation ;  nor  whether  rivers  shall  be  joined,  but 
whether  the  Caspian  shall  see  the  Mediterranean,  and  the 
waves  of  the  Pacific  lave  the  Atlantic.'' 

The  act  authorizing  the  construction  of  the  canals  by 
the  State  was  passed  in  1817,  and  the  work  commenced 
on  the  4th  of  July  in  that  year.  De  Witt  Clinton  was 
first  elected  Governor  in  1817,  and  on  the  28th  of  January, 
1818,  delivered  his  first  Message,  of  which  the  following  is 
an  extract : 

"I  congratulate  you  upon  the  auspicious  commence- 


/ 


24  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

ment  and  successful  progress  of  the  contempfeted  water 
communication  between  the  great  western  and  northern 
lakes,  and  the  Atlantic  ocean.  Near  sixty  miles  of  the 
Western  Canal  have  been  contracted  for,  to  be  finished 
within  the  present  year ;  and  it  is  probable  that  the  whole 
of  the  Northern  Canal  will  be  disposed  of  in  the  same 
manner  before  the  ensuing  spring. 

"  Notwithstanding  the  unfavorable  season,  the  inexpe- 
rience of  the  contractors,  and  the  late  commencement  of 
operations,  it  is  understood  that  the  work  to  the  extent  of 
fifteen  miles  has  already  been  done  on  the  Western  Canal. 
And  it  is  confidently  believed  that  the  aggregate  expense 
will  be  within  the  estimates  of  the  commissioners.  The 
enhancement  of  the  profits  of  agriculture,  the  excitement 
of  manufacturing  industry,  the  activity  of  internal  trade, 
the  benefits  of  lucrative  traffic  ;  the  interchange  of  valu- 
able commodities — the  commerce  of  fertile,  remote,  and 
wide- spread  regions,  and  the  approximation  of  the  most 
distant  parts  of  the  Union,  by  the  facility  and  rapidity  of 
communication  that  will  result  from  the  completion  of 
these  stupendous  works,  will  spread  the  blessings  of  plenty 
and  opulence  to  an  immeasurable  extent.  The  resources 
of  the  State  are  fully  adequate  without  extraneous  aid ; 
and  when  we  consider  that  every  portion  of  the  nation 
will  feel  the  animating  spirit  and  vivifying  influences  of 
these  great  works ;  that  they  will  receive  the  benediction 
of  posterity  and  command  the  approbation  of  the  civilized 
world ;  we  are  required  to  persevere  by  every  dictate  of 
interest,  by  every  sentiment  of  honor,  by  every  injunction 
of  patriotism,  and  by  every  consideration  which  ought  to 
influence  the  councils  and  govern  the  conduct  of  a  free, 
high-minded,  enlightened,  and  magnanimous  people." 


CANAL    JOURNAL.  25 

In  his  Message  of  1826,  he  thus  speaks  of  their  comple- 
tion : 

*'In  1818  I  had  the  pleasure  to  congratulate  the  Legis- 
lature on  the  auspicious  commencement  and  successful 
progress  of  the  contemplated  water  communication  be- 
tween the  great  western  and  northern  lakes  and  the  At- 
lantic ocean,  and  I  now  have  the  peculiar  gratification  to 
felicitate  you  on  their  completion.  On  the  26th  of  October 
last,  the  Western  Canal  was  in  a  navigable  state,  and  vessels 
passed  from  Lake  Erie  to  the  Atlantic  ocean.  In  about 
eight  years,  artificial  communications,  near  428  miles  in 
length,  have  been  opened  to  the  Hudson  River  from  Lake 
Champlain  by  the  Northern  Canal ;  to  Lake  Ontario  by  the 
Oswego  River  and  the  Western  Canal ;  and  to  Lake  Erie 
and  the  other  western  lakes  by  the  latter  (^anal — thus  af- 
fording an  extent  of  inland  navigation  unparalleled  in  the 
experience  of  mankind.  The  expense  of  these  works  and 
of  some  auxiliary,  connected,  and  incidental  operations, 
amounts  to  $9,130,373  80,  exclusive  of  interest  paid  on 
loans." 

Thus  the  vision  of  1794  was  substantially  realized.  The 
Caspian  had  not  seen  the  Mediterranean,  nor  had  the 
waters  of  the  Pacific  flowed  into  the  Atlantic ;  but  he 
had  lived  to  see  results  equally  important.  The  energies 
and  resources  of  a  single  State,  chiefly  directed  by  his  own 
far-seeing  policy,  had  united  the  waters  of  our  inland  seas 
with  those  of  the  Atlantic.  The  writer  remembers  well 
the  celebration  of  that  event,  for  it  was  then  that  he  first 
saw  De  Witt  Clinton.  He  had  just  entered  Union  Col- 
lege at  Schenectady,  and  in  the  fall  of  1825,  stood  with  his 
College  companions  upon  the  banks  of  the  canal  in  that 
City,  when  Governor  Clinton  landed  from  the  boat  in  which 


26  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

he  had  passed  in  triumph  from  Lake  Erie.  Allusion  is 
made  to  this  circumstance  because  it  was  at  Schenectady, 
as  the  reader  of  the  following  journal  will  perceive,  that 
Mr.  Clinton  and  his  associate  Commissioners  in  July, 
1810,  set  sail  upon  the  dangerous  Mohawk. 

The  most  casual  observer  cannot  fail  to  notice  the 
mighty  changes  which  the  forty  succeeding  years  have 
produced.  The  western  wilderness  has  literallylbudded  and 
blossomed,  and  brought  forth  much  fruit.  The  State  of 
New  York  has  taken  her  proud  position  at  the  head  of 
the  Confederacy,  and  counts  her  population  by  millions. 
Her  gigantic  Internal  Improvements  have  realized  the  most 
sanguine  anticipations  of  their  early  projectors,  and  while 
they  have  proved  sources  of  great  wealth  to  us,  have  also 
furnished  models  for  our  sister  States — and  Jia;ve  diffused 
their  influence  over  vast  regions,  where  in  1810  the  wild 
beast  made  its  lair,  and  the  wandering  savage  found  his 
home  and  his  grave. 

The  traveler,  as  he  now  passes  up  the  valley  of  the 
Mohawk  with  almost  the  lightning's  speed,  can  hardly 
realize  the  slow  and  tedious  journeyings  of  our  fathers. 

The  following  pages  contain  the  interesting  private 
Journal  of  Mr.  Clinton  in  1810. 


Mb  fmk  Canal  lotirnal— 1810. 


In  consequence  of  representations  from  the  Western 
Inland  and  Lock  Navigation  Company,  and  from  a  great 
number  of  citizens  of  Albany,  Schenectady,  Utica,  and 
other  places  interested  in  the  internal  trade  of  the  State, 
Commissioners  were  appointed  by  the  Legislature  to  ex- 
plore the  country  between  the  Lakes  and  the  navigable 
waters  of  the  Hudson,  and  to  report  upon  the  most  eligible 
route  for  a  water  communication.  It  was  suggested  by 
those  representations,  as  a  point  deserving  of  particular 
attention,  that  the  commerce  of  the  country  was  diverted 
in  a  great  degree  to  Canada.  The  very  able  report  of 
Mr.  Secretary  Gallatin,  and  the  excellent  speech  of  Col. 
Porter,  on  the  facilitation  of  the  means  of  communication 
by  canals  and  roads,  had  awakened  the  public  attention 
and  excited  the  public  solicitude  to  that  all-important  ob- 
ject. The  resolution  of  the  Legislature  appointing  Com- 
missioners passed  without  opposition,  the  violence  of 
party  feelings  having  yielded  to  great  considerations  of 
national  policy ;  and,  as  it  fully  explains  the  objects  of  the 
appointment,  I  shall  give  it  at  length  : 

"  State  of  Neav  York  : 

"  In  Senate,  March  13,   1810. 
"  Whereas,  the  agricultural  and  commercial  interests  of 
this  State  require,  that  the  inland  navigation  from  Hud- 


28  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

son's  river  to  Lake  Ontario  and  Lake  Erie  be  improved 
and  completed  on  a  scale  commensurate  to  the  great  ad- 
vanta'Tes  derived  from  the  accomplishment  of  that  impor- 
tant object ;  and  whereas,  it  is  doubtful  whether  the  re- 
sources of  the  Western  Inland  Lock  Navigation  Company 
are  equal  to  such  improvements,  Therefore 

"  Resolved,  (if  the  Honorable  the  Assembly  concur  here- 
in), That  Governeur  Morris,  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer, 
De  Witt  CUnton,  Simeon  De  Witt,  William  North,  Thomas 
Eddy,  and  Peter  B.  Porter,  be  and  they  are  hereby  appointed 
Commissioners  for  exploring  the  whole  route,  examining  the 
present  condition  of  the  said  navigation,  and  considering 
what  further  improvements  ought  to  be  made  therein; 
that  they  be  authorized  to  direct  and  procure  such  surveys 
as  to  them  shall  appear  necessary  and  proper,  in  relation 
to  the  object,  and  that  they  report  thereon  to  the  Legisla- 
ture at  their  next  session,  presenting  a  full  view  of  the 
subjects  referred  to  them,  with  their  estimates  and  opinions 
thereon. 

"  And  Whereas,  numerous  inhabitants  of  the  counties  of 
Oneida,  Madison,  and  Onondaga,  have  by  their  petitions 
represented,  that  by  reason  of  the  spring  freshets  the  On- 
ondaga Lake  is  usually  raised  so  high,  as  to  inundate  large 
tracts  of  land  adjacent  thereto,  which  are  thereby  rendered 
unfit  for  cultivation,  and  highly  injurious  to  the  health  of 
the  neighboring  inhabitants,  and  that  the  said  evils  may 
be  remedied  by  removing  a  bar  and  deepening  the  channel 
of  the  outlet  of  the  said  Lake,  Therefore 

"  Resolved,  (if  the  Honorable  the  Assembly  concur  here- 
in). That  the  Commissioners  above-named  be  and  they 
are  hereby  directed  to  examine  the  subject  of  the  said  pe- 
titions, and  to  report  to  the  Legislature  their  opinion  as  to 


t 

PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  29 

the  practicability,  the  expense,  and  the  effects  of  removing 
the  bar  and  deepening  the  channel  at  the  outlet  of  the 
said  Lake. 

"  By  order, 

"S.  VisscHER,  Clerk. 

"In  Assembly,  March  15,  1810. 
"  Resolved,  That  this  House  do  concur  with  the  Honor- 
able the  Senate,  in  the  preceding  resolutions. 

"  J.  V.  Ingen,  Clerk." 

By  the  Supply  Bill,  $3,000  were  appropriated  to  defray- 
ing the  expenses  of  the  Board  of  Commissioners. 

Messrs.  Morris,  Porter,  Eddy,  and  myself,  met  in  New 
York,  and  agreed  to  meet  the  other  Commissioners  at  Al- 
bany, on  the  second  of  July,  in  order  to  proceed  to  the 
execution  of  the  duties  assigned  to  us.  Mr.  Eddy  was 
appointed  Secretary  and  Treasurer  of  the  Board,  and  di- 
rected to  inform  the  absent  Commissioners  of  this  arrange- 
ment. We  were  anxious  to  avail  ourselves  of  the  pro- 
fessional knowledge  of  Mr.  Latrobe ;  but  this  was  strenu- 
ously opposed  by  Mr.  Morris,  and  the  Surveyor-General 
was  authorized  to  employ  such  surveyor  as  he  might  think 
necessary. 

On  the  30th  of  June,  1810, 1  left  New  York  for  Albany 
in  the  steamboat,  in  company  with  Mr.  Eddy,  his  son,  and 
Mr.  Osgood's  son  and  nephew.  A  servant  by  the  name 
of  Thomas  Smyth,  whom  I  had  engaged  to  attend  me, 
and  to  whom  I  paid  a  month's  wages  in  advance,  disap- 
pointed me,  and  in  waiting  for  him  I  had  nearly  lost  my 
passage.     The  weather  was  warm,  and  the  boat  crowded. 


30  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

We  arrived  at  Albany  before  daylight  on  Monday  morning, 
and  put  up  at  Gregory's  tavern. 

A  meeting  of  the  Commissioners  was  held  according  to 
appointment,  at  the  Surveyor-General's  office,  and  all  were 
present  except  Col.  Porter,  who  did  not  arrive  until  even- 
ing. It  appeared  that  Mr.  De  Witt  had  engaged  Mr. 
Geddes  to  attend  us  as  surveyor  from  Utica.  Morris  and 
Van  Rensselaer  agreed  to  make  the  jaunt  by  land  ;  the 
other  Commissioners  determined  to  proceed  by  water. 
Mr.  Morris  was  to  be  accompanied  by  his  wife,  and  Mr. 
Sharpless,  a  painter ;  and  Mr.  Van  Rensselaer  by  his 
brother-in-law,  Mr.  Patterson.  General  North  was  to  take 
boat  with  us  at  Utica. 

We  employed  ourselves  in  laying  up  the  necessary 
stores  for  our  voyage,  having  previously  drawn  from  the 
Treasury  SI 500,  in  favor  of  Mr.  Eddy.  A  mattrass, 
blanket,  and  pillow,  were  purchased  for  each  Commission- 
er ;  but  we  unfortunately  neglected  to  provide  ourselves 
with  marquees  and  camp-stools,  the  want  of  which  we 
sensibly  experienced. 

: ;  On  the  3d  July,  we  set  out  in  carriages  for  Schenectady, 
imd  put  up  at  Powell's  Hotel.  We  found  that  Mr.  Eddy 
had  neglected  to  give  directions  about  providing  boats, 
and  that  Mr.  Walton,  the  undertaker,  who  is  extensively 
engaged  in  transporting  commodities  and  merchandize  up 
and  down  the  river,  had  notice  of  our  wishes  only  yester- 
day. He  was  very  busy  in  making  the  requisite  prepara- 
tions. He  had  purchased  a  batteaux,  and  had  hired  another 
for  our  baggage.  It  being  necessary  to  caulk  and  new 
paint  the  boats — to  erect  an  awning  for  our  protection 
against  the  rain  and  sun,  and  to  prepare  a  new  set  of 
sails,  we  had  no  very  sanguine  hope  of  gratifying  our  earnest 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  31 

desire  to  depart  in  the  morning,  although  we  exerted  every 
nerve  to  effect  it. 

July  4th.  On  consulting  v^ith  Mr.  Walton  about  our  de- 
parture, he  informed  us  that  this  being  a  day  of  great  fes- 
tivity, it  would  be  almost  impracticable  to  drag  the  men 
away.  We  saw  some  of  them,  and  found  them  willing  to 
embark  as  soon  as  the  boats  were  ready,  and  we  therefore 
pressed  the  workmen  with  great  assiduity. 

The  true  reason  for  this  anxiety,  was  the  dullness  of  the 
place.  Imagine  yourself  in  a  large  country  village,  with- 
out any  particular  acquaintance,  and  destitute  of  books, 
and  you  will  appreciate  our  situation.  Schenectady,  al- 
though dignified  with  the  name  of  a  city,  is  a  place  of  little 
business.  It  has  a  Bank,  a  College,  and  Court-house,  and 
a  considerable  deal  of  trade  is  carried  on  through  the  Mo- 
hawk ;  and  all  the  roads  which  pass  to  the  westward  on 
the  banks  of  that  river  necessarily  go  through  this  place. 
A  great  portion  of  the  crowd  that  visit  the  Mineral  Springs 
at  Ballston  and  Saratoga  also  visit  Schenectady.  With 
all  these  advantages  it  does  not  appear  pleasing,  and  we 
endeavored  to  fill  up  the  gloomy  interval  between  this 
time  and  our  departure,  by  viewing  the  pageantry  which 
generally  attends  this  day. 

There  were  two  celebrations,  and  two  sets  of  orators — 
one  by  the  city  and  one  by  the  College.  The  feuds  be- 
tween the  burghers  of  Oxford  and  Cambridge,  and  the 
students  of  those  Universities,  appear  to  be  acted  over 
here.  In  the  procession  of  the  students,  we  saw  a  Wash- 
ington Benevolent  Society,  remarkable  neither  for  num- 
bers nor  respectability.  The  President  was  a  Scotch- 
man, of  the  name  of  Murdoch,  and  certainly  not  a  warm 
Whig  during  the  war. 


32  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

This  place  is  known  in  history  as  the  scene  of  a  terrible 
massacre.  On  the  9th  of  February,  1690,  it  was  destroyed 
by  a  party  of  French  and  Indians  from  Canada,  and  its 
inhabitants  murdered.  It  then  contained  a  church  and 
forty-three  houses.  Those  that  escaped  would  have  per- 
ished in  a  violent  snow-storm,  had  they  not  providentially 
met  sleighs  from  Albany,  which  of  course  returned  imme- 
diately with  them.  This  account  has  reached  us  by  tra- 
dition, and  was  given  to  us  by  Henry  Glen,  Esq.,  an  old 
inhabitant. 

On  receiving  information  that  our  batteaux  were  ready, 
we  embarked  at  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  Our  boat 
was  covered  with  a  handsome  awning  and  curtains,  and 
well  provided  with  seats.  The  Commissioners  who  em- 
barked in  it,  were  De  Witt,  Eddy,  Porter,  and  myself ;  and 
the  three  young  gentlemen  before-mentioned  also  accom- 
panied us.  The  Captain's  name  was  Thomas  B.  Clench, 
and  we  were  provided  with  three  men.  Freeman,  Van  In- 
gen,  and  Van  Slyck.  In  our  consort,  were  the  Captain, 
named  Clark,  three  hands,  three  servants,  and  about  a  ton 
and  a-half  of  baggage  and  provisions.  We  called,  ludi- 
crously at  first,  our  vessel  the  Eddy,  and  the  baggage- 
boat  the  Morris.  What  was  jest  became  serious  and 
when  our  batteaux  were  painted  at  Utica,  these  names 
were  doubly  inscribed  on  the  sterns  in  legible  characters. 

A  crowd  of  people  attended  us  at  our  embarkation,  who 
gave  us  three  parting  cheers.  The  wind  was  fair,  and 
with  our  handsome  awning,  flag  flying,  and  large  sail,  fol- 
lowed by  another  boat,  we  made  no  disreputable  appear- 
ance. We  discovered  that  our  mast  was  too  high,  and 
our  boat  being  without  much  ballast,  we  were  not  well 
calculated  to  encounter  heavy  and  sudden  gusts.     These 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  33 

boats  are  not  sufficiently  safe  for  lake  navigation,  although 
they  frequently  venture.     A  boat  went  from  this  place  to 
the  Missouri  in  six  weeks.     The  river  was  uncommonlv 
low      Goods  to  the  value  of  $50,000  were  detained  in 
Walton  s  warehouses,  on  account  of  the  difficulty  of  trans- 
portation.    After  sailing  a  couple  of  miles,  a  bend  of  the 
river  brought  the  wind  in  our  faces.     Our  men  took  to 
their  poles,  and  pushed  us  up  against  a  rapid  current  with 
great  dexterity,  and  great  muscular  exertion.     The  ap- 
proach of  evening,  and  the  necessity  of  sending  back  to 
bchenectady  for  some  things  that  were  left,  induced  us  to 
come  to,  for  the  night,  at  Willard's  tavern,  on  the  south 
bank  of  the  river,  and  three  miles  from  the  place  of  de- 
parture. 

This  tavern  is  in  the  3d  ward  of  the  city  of  Schenec- 
tady.    In  the  election  of  1809,  the  first  after  the  esta- 
blishment of  the  county,  a  great  disproportion  was  disco- 
vered between  the  Senatorial  and  Assembly  votes,  which 
could  not  be  accounted  for  on  fair  principles.     A  greater 
number  of  persons  testified  that  they  had  voted  for  the 
Kepubhcan  candidates,  than  there  were  ballots  in  the  box  • 
and  there  could  not  be  the  least  doubt,  but  that  Republi- 
can tickets  had  been  taken  from  the  box,  and  Federal 
ones  substituted.     This  tavern  was  located  as  the  scene 
of  the  fraud.     The  boxes  were  kept  here  one  night,  and  it 
IS  said,  locked  up  in  a  bureau,  left  there  for  the  express 
purpose,  as  it  is  supposed.     The  tavern-keeper  and  some 
other  accomplices,  perpetrated  the  atrocious  deed.     The 
present  incumbent  looks  as  if  he  were  capable  of  anv 
miquity  of  the  kind. 

The  south  road  leads  in  front  of  the  house.     While 
here,  we  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  the  pernicious  ef- 


34  DE    WITT    CLINTON, 

fects  of  these  festivals,  in  the  crowds  of  drunken,  quarrel- 
some people,  who  passed  by.  Among  other  disgusting 
scenes,  we  saw  several  young  men  riding  Jehu-like  to  the 
tavern,  in  a  high  state  of  intoxication,  and  their  leader 
swinging  his  hat,  and  shouting,  "  Success  to  Federalism." 
A  simple  fellow  handed  me  a  handbill  containing  the  ar- 
rangements for  the  procession,  and  was  progressing  in  his 
famiUarities  with  the  rest  of  the  company,  when  he  was 
called  off  by  the  landlord,  who,  in  a  stern  voice,  said 
"  Come  away,  Dickup ;"  and  poor  Dickup,  alias  thick- 
head, immediately  obeyed. 

July  5th.  We  rose  with  the  sun,  expecting  to  start -ak 
that  time,  but  we  were  detained  by  our  Captain,  who  had 
gone  to  Schenectady,  until  nine  o'clock.  The  high  wind 
then  subsided,  and  it  had  rained  considerably  in  the  night. 
In  the  rear  of  the  house,  we  ascended  a  high  and  perpen- 
dicular hill,  from  whence  we  had  a  delightful  view  of 
Schenectady,  and  the  flat  lands  forming  the  valley  of  the 
Mohawk. 

The  advertisements  in  the  tavern  indicated  attention  to 
manufactures.  Two  machines,  for  preparing  and  carding 
wool  and  cotton,  were  announced  as  ready  for  operation. 

In  the  course  of  the  day  we  passed  three  boats  and  a 
raft.  The  general  run  in  going  to  Utica,  and  returning 
to  Schenectady,  is  nine  days.  One  of  the  boats  was  from 
Utica,  and  could  carry  ten  tons. 

We  had  with  us  Wright's  Map  of  the  Mohawk,  made 
from  an  actual  survey  at  the  expense  of  the  Canal  Com- 
pany. This  map  exhibited  the  distances,  the  names  of 
places,  the  rapids,  rifts,  and  currents,  with  great  accuracy, 
and  was  singularly  useful. 

Between  fifteen  and  sixteen  miles  from  Schenectadv, 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  35 

we  passed  the  first  settlement  made  by  Sir  William  John- 
son, in  this  country.  It  is  handsomely  situated  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  river,  and  must  have  been  selected  by 
him  on  account  of  its  vicinity  to  the  Mohawk  Castle. 
There  is  here,  a  handsome  two-story  brick  house,  which 
was  recently  owned  by  one  Stanton.  He  had  but  two 
daughters,  who  were  courted  by  a  carpenter  and  mason. 
He  withheld  his  consent  until  they  had  erected  this  house. 
Like  Jacob,  they  undertook  the  service ;  and  the  death  of 
the  old  man  has  placed  them  in  the  building  made  by  their 
hands. 

In  dried  mullen  stalks  we  discovered  young  bees  in  a 
chrysalis  state,  deposited  there  by  the  old  ones,  and  used 
as  a  nest.  We  also  saw,  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  the 
shell  of  the  common  fresh  water  muscle. 

About  sixteen  miles  from  Schenectady,  we  saw,  on  the 
left  bank  of  the  river,  a  curious  specimen  of  Indian  paint- 
ing. On  an  elevated  rock  was  painted  a  canoe,  with  seven 
warriors  in  it,  to  signify  that  they  were  proceeding  on  a 
war  expedition.  This  was  executed  with  red  ochre,  and 
has  been  there  for  upwards  of  half  a  century. 

We  dined  on  board  the  boat,  and,  after  a  hard  day's 
work,  arrived  at  Cook's  tavern,  on  the  north  side  of  the 
river,  about  8  o'clock,  p.m.  The  wind  was  violently 
adverse,  the  rapids  frequent  and  impetuous.  The  Morris 
staid  about  a  mile  behind,  which  was  no  favorable  indi- 
cation. 

Sir  William  Johnson  had  a  son  and  two  daughters  by  a 
German  woman,  with  whom  he  cohabited.  The  son,  Sir 
John,  succeeded  him  in  his  title,  and  now  resides  in  Canada. 
One  of  his  daughters  married  Guy  Johnson,  the  other  Col. 
Claus,  whose  estates  were  confiscated.     Sir  William  gave 


36  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

each  of  his  sons-in-law  a  mile  square  on  the  river,  and 
built  for  them  spacious  and,  in  that  time,  magnificent  stone 
houses,  with  suitable  out-buildings.  Cook's  tavern  was 
called  Guy  Park,  and  belonged  to  Guy  Johnson.  The 
plkce  was  sold  by  the  Commissioners  of  Forfeitures,  and 
is  now  owned  by  John  V.  Henry,  Esq.,  of  Albany,  who 
rents  it  for  $500  a-year.     The  house  is  well  kept. 

July  Gth.  Started  at  5  o'clock.  About  nineteen  miles 
from  Schenectady,  passed  the  former  seat  of  Sir  William 
Johnson,  on  the  north  bank  of  the  river.  It  is  now  used 
as  a  tavern.  After  he  erected  Johnson  Hall,  at  Johns- 
town, and  resided  there,  this  house  was  occupied  by  his 
son.  It  is  a  large,  double,  two-story  stone  building,  with 
two  stone  offices,  and  other  elegant  appurtenances.  In 
those  days  it  must  have  been  considered  a  superb  edifice. 

After  breakfasting  at  a  log  house,  occupied  by  Mrs. 
Loucks,  we  proceeded  on  our  voyage,  and  passed  the 
mouth  of  Scoharie  creek,  which  discharges  itself  on  the  left 
bank,  about  twenty-two  and  a  half  miles  from  Schenec- 
tady. A  fort  was  erected  here  by  Gov.  Hunter,  the  friend 
and  correspondent  of  Swift,  and  called  Fort  Hunter,  after 
him.  On  the  west  side  of  the  creek,  there  is  a  beautiful 
flat  country,  on  which  was  situated  the  castle,  or  chief 
village,  of  the  once  powerful  tribe  of  the  Mohawks.  There 
is  a  convenient  bridge  over  the  creek  at  this  place. 

We  landed  here  at  a  fine  spring,  for  a  few  moments  ;  and 
in  imagination  I  was  carried  back  to  the  time,  when  this 
country  was  occupied  by  roving  barbarians  and  savage 
beasts,  when  every  trace  of  civilization  and  refinement 
was  excluded.  The  chief  employment  and  supreme  de- 
light of  the  savage  was  to  slake  his  thirst  at  the  spring,  to 
gorge  himself  with  flesh,  and  to  plant  the  arrow  in  the 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  3? 

bosom  of  his  enemy.  In  course  of  time,  he  felt  the  power 
of  the  man  of  Em-ope.  He  struggled  against  his  arts  and 
his  arms,  and  after  the  lapse  of  two  centuries,  he  is  banished 
from  the  country  which  contains  the  bones  of  his  fore- 
fathers ;  and  the  powerful  nation  of  the  Mohawks,  which 
formerly  struck  terror  as  far  as  the  Mississippi,  is  now 
dwindled  down  into  absolute  insignificance. 

On  our  way  up  we  passed  Caughnawaga  Village,  which 
is  about  twenty-nine  miles  from  Schenectady,  and  contains 
a  church.  It  is  pleasantly  situated  on  the  north  side  of 
the  river.  On  the  south  side,  opposite  to  one  Docksted- 
der's,  a  wooden  pitchfork  was  thrown  at  our  batteaux, 
from  an  elevated  bank.  It  just  passed  over  the  boat,  and 
if  it  had  struck  it,  might  have  killed  a  man.  As  it  passed 
close  to  one  of  the  hands,  they  felt  a  proper  indignation, 
and  immediately  stopped  the  batteaux.  The  ruffians,  who 
were  making  hay  on  the  lowlands,  scampered  off,  and  left 
their  rakes  and  forks  to  the  mercy  of  the  enraged  boatmen, 
who  took  their  revenge  in  breaking  them. 

We  lodged  this  night  at  Dewandalaer's  tavern,  thirty- 
four  miles  from  Schenectady,  in  Palatine,  on  the  north 
side  of  the  river.  This  is  a  good  although  a  small  log 
house.  We  had  four  beds  in  one  room,  and  although  the 
cotton  sheets,  which  are  generally  used  in  the  country, 
were  not  so  agreeable  as  linen,  yet  we  passed  a  comfort- 
able night.  The  landlord  owns  a  farm  of  600  acres,  180 
of  which  are  on  the  Mohawk  flats.  About  twenty  years 
ago  it  cost  him  $7.50  an  acre.  He  had  but  twenty  sheep. 
We  saw  peas,  hemp,  and  flax,  growing  in  one  field  on 
the  lowlands.  The  flats  must  produce  excellent  hemp, 
but  this  profitable  commodity  is  almost  entirely  neglected. 
The  hard  winter  has  proved  nearly  fatal  to  the  wheat  crop. 


38  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

Land  on  the  bottoms  can  rarely  be  purchased  ;  it  is  worth 
$100  per  acre.  This  place  formerly  belonged  to  Major 
Fonda.  His  house  was  burnt  by  a  party  Indians  and  To- 
ries, during  the  last  war,  who  came  from  Canada,  and  swept 
the  country  as  low  down  as  Tripe's  Hill.  Near  this  place 
they  were  defeated  by  the  militia.  A  short  distance  be- 
low De  Wandalaer's,  you  pass  a  remarkable  rock  called  the 
Nose.  The  mountains  here  are  high,  and  are  like  the 
Highlands  of  the  Hudson  on  a  small  scale.  The  river 
must  have  burst  a  passage  for  itself  The  opening  of  the 
mountains  exhibits  sublime  scenery. 

I  saw  at  this  house  a  pamphlet  written  by  Cheetham, 
entitled,  "  The  New  Crisis,  by  an  old  Whig."  This 
family  are,  it  'seems,  connected  with  the  Van  Vechtens,  of 
Albany,  and  the  pamphlet  was  probably  transmitted  to  be 
used  as  a  powerful  political  engine. 

1th  July.  We  commenced  our  journey  at  5  o'clock ; 
and  in  order  to  facilitate  the  passage  of  our  batteaux  over 
Kater's  Rapid,  which  extends  a  mile  from  this  place,  and 
which  is  among  the  worst  in  the  river,  we  walked  to  the 
head  of  it.  And  here  Mr.  Eddy,  who  was  complimented 
with  the  title  of  Commodore  and  the  conduct  of  expedi- 
tion, disburthened  his  pocket  of  a  towel,  which  he  had  negli- 
gently put  into  it  at  the  tavern  w^here  we  slept,  with  par- 
ticular injunctions  to  deliver  it  safely.  This  trifling  inci- 
dent excited  some  merriment ;  and  we  were  happy  to 
catch  even  at  trifling  incidents  in  order  to  beguile  the 
time,  which  the  slowness  of  our  progress,  the  sameness  of 
the  scenery,  and  the  warmth  of  the  weather,  began  to 
make  tedious. 

In  order  to  furnish  as  much  amusement  as  possible,  we  put 
our  books  into  a  common  stock,  or  rather  into  a  trunk,  and 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  39 

appointed  one  of  the  young  gentlemen  keeper  of  the  library. 
The  books,  which  were  most  extraordinary,  were  a  treatise 
on  Magic,  by  Quitman  (this  I  purchased  at  Albany),  and 
a  pamphlet  on  Religion,  by  Mr.  D.  L.  Dodge,  a  respecta- 
ble merchant  in  New  York,  with  an  answer  by  a  Clergy- 
man, (these  were  furnished  by  Mr.  Eddy).  Quitman's 
Treatise  is  a  labored  argument  against  Magicians,  and  to 
disprove  their  existence.  Dodge's  work  is  principally 
levelled  against  war,  breathes  a  fanatical  spirit,  and  is 
completely  refuted  by  the  adversary's  pamphlet.  As  a 
specimen  of  his  reasoning,  take  the  following  : — 

"  If  a  good  man  does  not  resist  an  assailant  and  sub- 
mits to  be  killed,  he  will  go  to  heaven.  On  the  contrary, 
if  he  kills  the  assailant,  he  may  probably  send  a  soul  to 
hell,  which  if  spared,  may  be  converted  and  saved  to  life 
everlasting." 

Dodge's  pamphlet,  weak  as  it  is,  has  given  him  a  great 
name  among  the  Quakers  ;  and,  through  their  recommend- 
ation, he  is  now  a  trustee  of  the  New  York  Free  School. 

We  were  not,  however,  without  other  amusements.  A 
one-horse  wagon,  driven  tandem,  came  up  to  Shephard's 
tavern  in  great  style,  and  formed  an  admirable  burlesque 
of  the  fops  of  our  cities  who  sport  in  that  style.    - 

Shephard's  house  is  thirty-nine  miles  from  Schenectady, 
on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  and  close  to  Canajoharie 
bridge,  which  passes  over  the  Mohawk.  It  is  a  large 
handsome  house,  dirty  and  unaccommodating,  although 
much  frequented.  Here  is  a  small  village  of  two  or  three 
stores,  two  taverns,  asheries  for  making  pot  and  pearl 
ashes,  and  about  eight  houses.  We  relished  our  breakfast 
but  very  indifferently.  The  swarms  of  flies  which  assailed 
the  food,  were  very  disgusting ;  and  custards  which  were 


40  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

brought  on  the  table,  mal  apropos  exhibited  the  marks  of 
that  insect  as  a  substitute  for  the  grating  of  nutmeg. 

At  the  distance  of  forty-two  and  a-half  miles  from 
Schenectady,  passed  Fort  Plain  on  the  south  side  and  in 
Minden.  It  derives  its  name  from  a  block-house  which 
was  formerly  erected  here.  There  is  a  church  near  it, 
and  it  is  marked  erroneously  in  Wright's  map,  Canajo- 
harie.  An  occurrence  took  place,  near  here,  during  the 
war,  which  excited  much  sensation  among  the  supersti- 
tious. A  Tory,  from  Canada,  was  apprehended  and  exe- 
cuted as  a  spy,  in  the  army  commanded  by  Gen.  James 
Clinton,  His  friends  were  gratified  with  his  body  for  in- 
terment; and  when  the  company  were  assembling  in  a 
cellar-kitchen,  a  large  black  snake  darted  through  the 
window,  and  ran  under  the  coffin,  and  could  not  be  found. 
This  affair  made  a  great  noise,  and  the  superstitious  Ger- 
mans interpreted  it  as  an  omen  favorable  to  the  Whig 
cause,  considering  the  black  snake  as  a  devil,  anxious  to 
receive  his  victim,  and  anticipating  a  delightful  sacrifice. 
A  mile  above  Fort  Plain,  we  passed  under  the  third  bridge, 
the  Schenectady  one  included,  and  a  mile  above  this  bridge 
we  passed  the  Lower  Palatine  church,  on  the  north  side 
of  the  river.  The  Higher  Palatine  church  is  a  few  miles 
higher  up. 

At  half  after  one,  and  forty-five  miles  from  Schenec- 
tady, we  passed  a  boat  which  left  Utica  yesterday,  at  12 
o'clock  ;  and  five  miles  further,  we  overtook  and  passed  a 
Durham  boat,  with  a  load  of  eight  or  ten  tons,  which  left 
Schenectady  on  Tuesday  for  Utica.  The  Eddy  can  carry 
but  three  tons.  We  purchased  a  basket  of  eggs,  at  one 
shilling  per  dozen,  and  some  fine  butter,  at  fifteen  cents  per 
pound,  also  nine  fishes  taken  by  a  spear,  weighing  from  one 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  41 

pound  to  one  and  a-half  each,  and  eighteen  inches  long, 
for  four  shillings  altogether.  We  shot  a  fine  bittern,  and 
one  of  our  men  speared  a  large  snapping-turtle.  The 
wind  became  fair  for  a  while ;  the  air  was  cool,  the 
country  pleasant,  and  our  epicures  were  anticipating  a 
fine  dinner  on  shore,  when,  to  evince  the  fallacy  of  human 
wishes,  lo !  a  black  vapor,  not  larger  than  a  man's  hand, 
appeared  in  the  West,  and  in  a  short  time  magnified  itself 
into  a  dark,  portentous  cloud,  surcharged  with  electrical 
matter,  and  covering  the  western  horizon.  We  were 
compelled  to  encounter  the  rain-storm  by  coming  to,  un- 
der the  bank,  with  our  curtains  down,  and  in  this  situa- 
tion we  took  our  cold  dinner  and  sipped  our  hot  wine. 
After  the  rain,  which  continued  until  three  o'clock,  the 
thermometer  stood  at  81°.  The  thighs  and  fleshy  parts  of 
the  turtle  we  caught,  were  filled  with  leeches.  We  pur- 
sued our  voyage  through  a  damp,  disagreeable  afternoon, 
and  about  evening  arrived  at  Pardee's  Tavern  in  Man- 
heim,  on  the  west  side  of  East  Canada  Creek.  The  town 
on  the  south  side  of  the  river  is  called  Oppenheim.  Par- 
dee's is  fifty-one  miles  from  Schenectady.  He  keeps  a 
store  and  excellent  tavern,  also  the  Post-office.  There  is 
a  bridge  over  the  Canada  Creek  near  his  house,  and  the 
Mohawk  and  Schenectady  turnpike  run  close  by  it.  Here 
we  met  Jaspar  Hopper  and  his  family  going  to  the  Ball- 
ston  Springs.  The  house  was  crowded  in  the  evening, 
by  militia  on  their  way  from  a  regimental  inspection. 
They  conducted  themselves  with  great  decorum.  Mr. 
Pardee  says  that  the  expense  of  land  and  water  trans- 
portation is  about  equal,  but  the  former  is  to  be  preferred 
on  account  of  its  superior  safety  and  convenience. 

July  8th,  Tuesday.  We  continued  our  voyage  at  six 


4^  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

o'clock,  and  arrived  at  the  Little  Falls  at  ten.  It  had 
rained  the  whole  night,  and  the  morning  was  introduced 
by  the  vocal  music  of  the  woods.  Thousands  of  birds  of 
different  kinds  had  assembled  in  a  grove  near  to  Pardee's, 
which  they  made  to  ring  with  their  songs.  The  black- 
bird and  the  robin  appeared  to  be  the  principal  performers 
in  this  great  concert  of  nature. 

On  our  way,  we  were  spoken  to  by  James  Cochran  and 
brother  in  a  phaeton,  and  Francis  A.  Bloodgood  and  family 
in  a  coach,  who  informed  us,  that  our  colleagues  were 
waiting  for  us  at  Utica.  We  passed  a  loaded  Durham 
boat  in  its  descent  from  Utica,  and  fifty-six  miles  from 
Schenectady  we  passed  the  house  of  the  gallant  General 
Herkimer,  who  was  mortally  wounded  at  the  battle  of 
Oriskany,  and  who  died  here.  His  house  is  on  the  south 
side,  and  was  protected  by  pickets  during  the  war.  This 
brave  man  is  honored  in  the  memory  and  affections  of  his 
country.  A  county,  a  town,  and  a  village,  are  called  after 
him.  He  was  of  German  descent,  and  the  ground  where 
he  received  the  fatal  wound,  was  covered  with  the  dead 
and  dying  of  his  gallant  countrymen.  From  his  house  to 
the  Little  Falls,  the  water  is  deep  and  still. 

LITTLE    FALLS. 

This  village  is  built  upon  rocks  of  granite — contains 
about  thirty  or  forty  houses  and  stores,  and  a  church,  to- 
gether with  mills. 

As  you  approach  the  falls,  the  river  becomes  narrow' 
and  deep,  and  you  pass  through  immense  rocks,  princi- 
pally of  granite,  interspersed  with  limestone.  In  various 
places  you  observe  profound  excavations  in  the  rocks, 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  43 

worn  by  the  agitation  of  pebbles  in  the  fissures,  and  in 
some  places,  the  river  is  not  more  than  twenty  yards  wide. 
As  you  approach  the  western  extremity  of  the  hills,  you 
will  find  them  about  half-a-raile  from  top  to  top,  and  at 
least,  three  hundred  feet  high.     The  rocks  are  composed 
of  solid  granite,  and  many  of  them  are  thirty  or  forty  feet 
thick,  and  the  whole  mountain  extends,  at  least,  half-a-mile 
from  east  to  west.     You  see  them  piled  on  each  other, 
like  Ossa  on  Pelion  ;  and  in  other  places,  huge  fragments 
scattered  about  in  different  directions,  indicating  evidently  « 
a  violent  rupture  of  the  waters  through  this  place,  as  if 
they  had  been  formerly  dammed  up,  and  had  forced  a  pas- 
sage through  all  intervening  obstacles.     In  all  directions 
you  behold  great  rocks  exhibiting  rotundities,  points,  and 
cavities,  as  if  worn  by  the  violence  of  the  waves  or  pushed 
from  their  former  positions. 

The  general  appearance  of  the  Little  Falls  indicates  the 
existence  of  a  great  lake  above,  connected  with  the  Onei- 
da Lake,  and  as  the  waters  burst  a  passage  here  and  re- 
ceded, the  flats  above  formed  and  composed  several  thou- 
sand acres  of  the  richest  lands.  Rome  being  the  highest 
point  on  the  Lake,  the  passage  of  the  waters  on  the  east 
side  left  it  bare,  and  the  Oneida  Lake  gradually  receded 
on  the  west  side,  and  formed  the  great  marsh  or  swamp 
now  composing  the  head  waters  of  Wood  Creek.  The 
whole  appearance  of  the  country,  from  the  commence- 
ment of  Wood  Creek  to  its  termination  in  the  Oneida 
Lake,  demonstrates  the  truth  of  this  hypothesis.  The 
westerly  and  northwesterly  winds  drive  the  sand  towards 
Wood  Creek,  and  you  can  distinctly  perceive  the  con- 
tinual alluvions  increasing  eastward  by  the  accumulation 
of  sand,  and  the  formation  of  new  ground.     Near  the 


44  DB    WITT    CLINTON. 

Lake  you  observe  sand  without  trees — then,  to  the  east,  a 
few  scattering  trees,  and  as  3'ou  progress  in  that  direction, 
the  woods  thicken.  In  digging  the  canals  in  Wood  Creek, 
pine-trees  have  been  found  twelve  feet  deep.  The  whole 
country,  from  the  commencement  to  the  termination  of 
Wood  Creek,  bears  the  indications  of  made  ground.  An 
old  boatman,  several  years  ago,  told  Mr.  De  Witt,  that  he 
had  been  fifty  years  in  that  employ,  and  that  the  Oneida 
Lake  had  receded  half-a-mile  within  his  recollection. 
-William  Culbraith,  one  of  the  first  settlers  at  Rome,  was 
arrested,  in  digging  a  well,  by  a  large  tree  which  he  found 
at  the  depth  of  twelve  feet.  This  great  Lake — breaking 
down  in  the  first  place  to  the  east,  the  place  where  its 
waters  pressed  the  most,  and  then  to  the  west,  where  its 
recession  was  gradual — forms  an  object  worthy  of  more 
inquiry  than  I  had  time  or  talent  to  afford.  The  Little 
Falls  are  the  Highlands  in  miniature  ;  and  the  Mohawk 
here,  ought  to  be  considered  as  the  Hudson,  forcing  its 
way  through  the  mightiest  obstacles  of  nature.  It  being 
rainy  the  whole  day  and  night,  after  breakfasting,  we  con- 
tinued here  until  the  next  morning  at  four  o'clock,  when 
we  continued  our  voyage. 

The  Mohawk  and  Schenectady  turnpike  passes  through 
this  place.  It  is  in  the  town  of  Herkimer,  and  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  locks,  a  line  of  division  between 
the  counties  of  Montgomery  and  Herkimer  runs.  The 
town  of  German  Flatts  is  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river, 
which  is  connected  with  this  place  by  an  excellent  bridge. 

The  proprietors  of  this  place  were  originally  Fin  and 
Ellis,  Englishmen,  who  made  their  fortunes  in  this  State 
and  returned  to  their  native  country.  The  land  now  belongs 
to  their  heirs.     They  sent  a  clerk  named  John  Porteus,  a 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  45 

Scotchman,  who  resided  here  and  took  care  of  their  con- 
cerns. He  kept  a  store  and  mills.  He  had  a  daughter 
who  is  married  to  Wm.  Alexander,  the  principal  trader  of 
this  village.  The  lots  are  leased  for  ever  at  three  dollars 
per  annum,  and  are  60  by  120  feet.  Alexander  being  the 
agent  of  the  canal  company,  we  had  frequent  interviews 
with  him,  and  were  not  a  little  entertained  with  the  bathos 
he  attempted  in  his  conversation. 

The  tavern  here  is  kept  by  one  Carr,  and  is  a  good  one. 
We  saw  here  the  Neio  York  Spectator,  and  a  federal  pa- 
per called  the  American,  printed  in  the  village  of  Herki- 
mer, by  J.  and  H.  Prentiss.  I  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing 
my  friend  J.  C.  Ludlow,  Esq.,  on  a  tour  to  Quebec,  ac- 
companied by  Joshua  Pell  and  Augustus  Sacket.  They 
left  New  York  on  Tuesday  last  in  the  steamboat,  and  came 
from  Albany  in  the  mail  stage.  The  Inland  Lock  Navi- 
gation Company  was  incorporated  in  1792,  and  has  a 
capital  of  $450,000,  of  which  the  State  owns  892,000. 
They  have  five  locks  at  the  Little  Falls,  two  at  the  Ger- 
man Flatts,  and  two  at  Rome,  besides  their  works  in 
Wood  Creek. 

All  their  improvements  might  now  be  done  at  less  than 
half  the  original  expense.  General  Schuyler,  the  original 
superintendent,  was  inexperienced.  The  locks  at  the  Lit- 
tle Falls  were  originally  built  of  wood,  which  rotting, 
stone  was  substituted ;  and  those  at  Rome  were  made  of 
brick,  which  not  standing  the  frost,  were  replaced  also  by 
stone.  There  is  a  fine  stone  quarry  a  mile  and  a  half  from 
the  Little  Falls,  of  which  the  locks  were  made  ;  and  they 
were  first  built  of  wood  from  ignorance  that  the  country 
contained  the  stone.  This  quarry  is  no  less  curious  than 
valuable.  The  stones  divide  naturally  as  if  done  by  tools. 
The  wooden  locks  here  put  the  Company  to  an  unnecessary 


46 


DE    WITT    CLINTON. 


expense  of  50,000  dollars — 10,000  dollars  a  lock.  An  old 
church  at  the  German  Flatts  was  built  of  stone  taken  from 
that  quarry,  and  yet  this  escaped  the  notice  of  the  Com- 
pany. The  artificial  bank  of  the  canal  was  supported  in 
the  inside  by  a  dry  wall  which  cost  15,000  dollars.  This 
is  found  worse  than  useless.  It  served  as  a  sieve  to  carry 
off  the  water  and  to  injure  the  banks,  and  it  has  become 
necessary  to  remove  it.  The  bridges  of  the  canal  are  so 
low  that  we  were  obliged  to  take  down  our  awning. 

In  one  year  the  income  of  the  company  was  16,000 
dollars.  This,  after  all  expenses,  would  have  afforded  a 
dividend  of  5  per  cent.  There  never  has  been  but  one 
dividend  of  3|  per  cent.  Alexander  supposes  that  a  mil- 
lion dollars  worth  of  produce  may  pass  down  the  canal 
annually,  and  as  much  up  in  goods.  The  toll  is  received 
at  the  Little  Falls  by  Wm.  Alexander,  and  at  Rome  by 
George  Huntington. 

The  following  amount  of  tolls  received  at  the  Little 
Falls  was  furnished  us  by  Mr.  Alexander  : — 


1804, 

•         •       •                  • 

9,749  36 

1805, 

10,178  05 

1806, 

7,235  30 

1807, 

10,972  61 

1808, 

4,700  08 

1809, 

•                  ■                  • 

4,723  41 

1810,  as 

yet. 

4,313  83 

The  rates  of  toll  have  been  reduced  since  1808,  in  order 
to  meet  the  charges  for  transportation  by  land. 

In  April  and  May  last  there  passed  the  falls,  151  boats. 
In  June,  .  •  •  .  91     " 


242 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  47 

Two  boats  passed  through  the  locks  in  our  presence — 
one  a  Durham  boat  from  Ithaca  with  potash,  part  of  which 
came  from  Owego.  This  boat  draws  when  full  loaded, 
28  inches  of  water,  and  can  carry  100  barrels  of  potash, 
or  240  of  flour.     It  paid  in  lockage  at  Rome  $16  50. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

The  mountain  which  forms  the  south-western  extremity 
of  the  Falls  is  very  elevated  and  called  Fall  Hill.  A  turn- 
pike runs  at  its  foot  adjacent  to  the  river.  This  mountain 
is  the  barometer  of  the  Little  Falls  ;  if  covered  with  fog 
in  the  morning,  it  invariably  denotes  a  rainy  day. 

In  entering  from  the  east  into  the  narrow  part  of  the 
river  at  the  Little  Falls,  we  saw  on  the  north  side  large 
holes  dug,  which  we  were  told  were  made  by  money- 
seekers  from  Stone  Arabia. 

We  saw  excellent  window-glass  made  in  a  factory  in 
Oneida,  and  japanned  and  plain  tin-ware  is  made  for 
wholesale  and  retail  in  this  place.  The  rainy  weather 
induced  me  to  procure  thicker  stockings  ;  for  a  pair  of 
coarse  worsted  I  paid  lis.,  and  for  two  pair  of  cotton 
half  stockings,  6s.  6d.  each. 

Qth  July. — As  before-mentioned  we  departed  from  the 
Little  Falls  at  four  o'clock,  with  an  intention  of  reaching 
Utica,  in  which  we  succeeded,  after  a  laborious  day's  work, 
at  ten  o'clock  at  night. 

We  met  two  empty  boats  going  down  to  Schenectady, 
which  had  been  to  Utica  with  goods  ;  as  the  wind  was 
favorable,  they  probably  reached  their  place  of  destination 
this  day.  We  breakfasted  at  the  toll-keeper's  at  the  Ger- 
man Flatts,  64  miles  from  Schenectady. 


48  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

The  canal  here  is  through  the  Flatts,  a  dehghtful  body 
of  low  lands,  which  look  like  the  flats  of  Esopus,  and  were 
first  settled  by  the  Palatines.     The  canal  is  1|  mile  long, 
24  feet  wide,  and  4  feet  deep.     The  land  through  which  it 
is  cut  cost  the  company  120  dollars  an  acre.     It  is  fur- 
nished with  a  guard  lock  to  prevent  too  great  a  flux  of 
water.     The  embankments  afford  a  delightful  walk  and  the 
expense  of  cutting  the  canal  could  not  exceed  that  of  a 
good  turnpike.  A  lock  here  cannot,  with  economy,  be  more 
than  6,000  dollars.      The   lock  was  filled  in  five  minutes 
for  our  boat  to  pass.     The  canal  here  ought  to  have  been 
extended  further  to  the  east,  in  order  to  have  avoided 
another  difficult  rapid,  and  this  could  have  been  done  at  a 
trifling  expense. 

The  village  of  German  Flatts  is  a  small  place  on  the 
south  side  of  the  river  and  near  the  toll-house.  The  first 
Indian  treaty,  after  the  peace,  was  made  at  it.  It  contains 
a  stone  house  which  was  picketted  during  the  war  and 
was  called  Fort  Herkimer.  The  stone  church  was  also 
used  as  a  fort  during  that  period,  and  the  loop-holes  for 
seeing  through  are  still  visible. 

A  bridge  crosses  the  river  65  miles  from  Schenectady, 
and  leads  to  the  village  of  Herkimer,  a  flourishing  place. 
The  river  is  narrow  at  this  place,  and  the  West  Canada 
Creek  from  the  north  falls  into  it,  on  the  east  side  of  the 
bridge. 

We  dined  on  the  south  side  of  the  river  about  71^  miles 
from  Schenectady,  in  the  open  air,  at  a  saw  and  carding- 
mill  owned  by  a  Mr.  Meyer ;  74  miles  from  Schenectady 
we  passed  under  a  new  bridge,  and  a  mile  further  we  saw 
the  commencement  of  Cosby 's  manor.     This  may  be  con- 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  49 

sidered  the  commencement  of  a  new  country ;  the  hills 
retreat  from  the  river,  the  land  grovi^s  better,  the  river 
narrows,  and  beach  and  sugar  maple  supply  the  place  of 
willow  bushes  which  cover  the  banks  below.  About  79 
miles  on  the  south  side,  there  was  a  tree  60  feet  high  with 
an  umbrella  top,  and  two-thirds  of  the  elevation  without 
branohes.  It  is  said  to  be  an  unique  in  this  country,  and 
to  be  visited  by  strangers  who  do  not  know  what  it  is. 
Mr.  De  Witt  and  Col.  Porter  went  out  of  the  boat  to  ex- : 
amine  it ;  the  distance  of  its  branches  prevented  them  from 
determining  its  kind,  but  they  supposed  it  to  be  the  Cu- 
cumber-tree, which  is  rarely  seen  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Genesee  river. 

Wild  or  Indian  Hemp  was  in  great  plenty  on  the  branches 
of  the  river,  also  a  beautiful  wild  flower,  whose  botani- 
cal name  is  Oscis,  and  of  which  there  are  six  different 
kinds  in  the  western  country. 

There  is  also  abundance  of  Mandrake  or  Wild-lemon, 
a  delicious  fruit  as  large  as  a  Love-apple.  Its  leaves  are 
large,  and  it  is  about  a  foot  or  eighteen  inches  high.  It  is 
a  plant,  not  a  shrub. 

Morris  and  Van  Rensselaer  having  pre-occupied  Baggs' ' 
tavern,  where  we  intended  to  quarter,  we  put  up  at  Bil- 
linger's  tavern  in  Utica. 

UTICA. 

July  10th. — The  Board  met,  all  present,  and  adjourned 
to  meet  at  Rome  on  the  12th  instant. 

Utica  is  a  flourishing  village  on  the  south  side  of  the 
Mohawk ;  it  arrogates  to  itself  being  the  capital  of  the 
Western  District.  Twenty-two  years  ago  there  was  but 
one  house ;  there  are  now  three  hundred,  a  Presbyterian 

4 


50  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

Church,  an  Episcopal,  a  Welch  Presbyterian,  and  a  Welch 
Baptist ;  a  Bank,  being  a  branch  of  the  Manhattan  Com- 
pany, a  Post  Office,  the  office  of  the  Clerk  of  the  County, 
and  the  Clerk  of  the  Supreme  Court.  By  the  census  now 
taking,  it  contains  1,650  inhabitants.  Two  newspapers 
are  printed  here. 

The  situation  of  the  place  is  on  low  ground,  a  great 
part  of  which  is  natural  meadow.  It  derives  its  impor- 
tance from  its  situation  on  the  Mohawk,  the  Seneca  turn- 
pike which  communicates  with  the  heart  of  the  Western 
country,  and  the  Mohawk  and  Schenectady  turnpike, 
which  leads  to  Schenectady  on  the  north  side  of  the  Mo- 
hawk, independently  of  a  good  free  road  on  the  south  side. 

Produce  is  carried  by  land  from  Utica  to  Albany  for  8s. 
per  100  lbs. ;  by  water  to  Schenectady,  for  6s.  When 
the  Canal  Company  reduced  the  toll,  the  wagoners  re- 
duced their  price,  in  order  to  support  the  competition. 
Country  people  owe  merchants,  and  pay  their  debts  by 
conveyances  of  this  kind,  and  in  times  when  their  teams 
are  not  much  wanted  for  other  purposes. 

Utica  bears  every  external  indication  of  prosperity. 
Some  of  the  houses  are  uncommonly  elegant ;  the  stores 
are  numerous  and  well  replenished  with  merchandize. 
The  price  of  building  lots  is  extravagantly  high.  Lots, 
correspondent  to  double  lots  in  New  York,  sell  here  from 
four  to  eight  hundred  dollars.  The  Bleecker  family  own 
1200  acres  in  the  village  and  its  vicinity,  and  by  at  first 
refusing  to  sell,  and  by  leasing  out  at  extravagant  rates, 
they  greatly  injured  the  growth  of  the  place.  They  seem 
now  to  have  embraced  a  more  liberal  policy.  They  have 
made  a  turnpike  of  two  miles,  and  a  bridge  over  the  Mo- 
hawk, to  carry  the  traveling  through  their  estate ;   and 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  51 

they  have  opened  streets  for  sale.  They  recently  sold 
2^  acres  at  auction,  for  $9,000.  The  land  was  divided 
into  25  lots,  fifty  by  one  hundred  feet.  Judge  Cooper  of 
this  place  bought,  about  ten  years  ago,  15  acres  for  $1,500, 
which  would  now  sell  for  $20,000. 

The  capital  of  the  Manhattan  Bank  is  $100,000.     The 
building  is  improperly  situated  close  by  stables,  and  is 
much  exposed  to  fire.     In  consequence  of  the  trade  with 
Canada,  specie  is  continually  accumulating  here.     It  af- 
fords a  great  facility  for  the  transmission  of  money  to  and 
from  New  York.     A  small  Bank  in  Connecticut,  named 
the  Bridgeport  Bank,  of  which   Doctor  Bronson  is  Presi- 
dent, discounts  notes  here  through  a  private  agent.     Hav- 
ing made  an  arrangement  with  the  Merchants'  Bank  of 
New  York,  to  take  its  notes,  they  became  in  good  credit, 
and  had  an  extensive  circulation.     As  the  Branch  did  not 
receive  their  notes  in  payment,  they  were  constantly  ac- 
cumulating a  balance  against  the  institution.     With  a  view 
to  meet  this  evil,  and  to  turn  the  tables  on  the  adversary 
institution,  the  Branch  now  take  the  Bridgeport  notes.     I 
found  that  it  is  projected  by  the  Directors  to  increase  the 
stock  of  the  Bank  to  $500,000 ;  to  distribute  it  in  the  vil- 
lage, and  to  maintain  its  dependence  upon,  and  connection 
with,  the  Manhattan  Company,  in  order  to  prevent  it  from 
becoming  a  federal  institution. 

The  town  of  Whitestown  contains,  besides  Utica,  two 
considerable  villages.  West  Hartford  and  Whitesborough. 
This  district  of  country  has  twenty-two  lawyers. 

I  met  here  Bishop  Moore,  on  a  diocesan  visitation  to 
confirm  the  members  of  his  Church.  Also,  Col.  Curtenius. 
Dined  at  Mr.  Kip's,  who  lives  in  handsome  style,  and  who 
received  us  with  great  hospitality. 


52  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

July  nth.  Morris  and  Van  Rensselaer  were  to  travel 
by  land  as  before ;  here  we  met  Gen.  North  and  the  Sur- 
veyor. We  proceeded  by  land  to  Whitesborough,  four 
miles  from  Utica,  and  there  we  divided,  some  of  the  com- 
pany continuing  to  go  by  land  and  others  taking  to  the 
boats. 

Two  miles  from  Utica  we  visited  a  famous  cheese- 
maker,  named  Abraham  Bradbury,  an  English  Quaker- 
He  has  rented  a  farm  of  163  acres,  for  $500  per  annum. 
He  keeps  thirty-six  cows,  and  makes  upwards  of  400 
cheeses  a-year.  Besides  the  cheese,  the  milk  will  support 
a  great  number  of  hogs.  He  is  assisted  by  his  wife  and 
two  sisters.  His  cheese  is  equal  to  the  best  English 
cheese  that  is  imported,  and  he  vends  it  for  Is.  3d.  per 
pound.  Notwithstanding  his  high  rent,  he  clears  upwards 
of  $1000  a-year  by  his  establishment. 

On  Sauquoit  Creek,  a  mile  from  Whitesborough,  there  is 
a  large  manufacturing  establishment  for  spinning  cotton. 
The  works  go  by  water.  It  is  owned  by  a  Company,  and 
is  denominated  the  Oneida  Manufacturing  Society.  The 
stock  is  said  to  be  profitable,  and  to  be  forty  per  cent, 
above  par.  It  employs  forty  hands,  chiefly  young  girls, 
who  have  an  unhealthy  appearance.  It  is  on  Arkwright's 
plan,  and  contains  384  spindles  on  six  frames. 

Whitesborough  contains  the  Court-House,  and  is  a 
handsome  village.  Several  lawyers  reside  here  on  ac- 
count of  the  Court-House.  The  federal  candidate  for 
Governor  has  a  handsome  house.  Eight  miles  from  Utica 
we  passed  Oriskany,  where  Herkimer's  battle  was  fought. 

We  arrived  at  Rome  for  dinner,  and  put  up  at  Isaac 
Lee's  house,  which  is  a  large  double  three-story  frame 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  53 

building,  called  the  Hotel.     He  rents  it  and  ten  acres  of 
land  from  Dominick  Lynch,  for  $250  a-year. 

Rome  is  on  the  highest  land  between  Lake  Ontario  and 
the  Hudson,  at  Troy.  It  is  390  feet  above  the  latter ;  six- 
teen miles  by  land  and  tvi^enty-one  by  w^ater  from  Utica, 
and  106  miles  by  water  from  Schenectady.  It  is  situated 
at  the  head  of  the  Mohawk  River  and  Wood  Creek,  that 
river  running  east  and  the  Wood  Creek  west.  You  see 
no  hills  or  mountains  in  its  vicinity ;  a  plain  extends  from 
it  on  all  sides.  It  has  a  Court-House,  a  State  Arsenal,  a 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  about  seventy  houses.  Its  ex- 
cellent position  on  the  Canal,  which  unites  the  Eastern 
and  Western  waters,  and  its  natural  communication  "(vith 
the  rich  counties  on  Black  River,  would  render  it  a  place 
of  great  importance,  superior  to  Utica,  if  fair  play  had 
been  given  to  its  advantages.  But  its  rising  prosperity 
has  been  checked  by  the  policy  of  its  principal  proprietor. 
When  he  first  began  to  dispose  of  his  lots,  he  asked  what 
he  called  a  fine  of  £30,  and  an  annual  rent  of  £7  10s.,  for 
each  lot  for  ever.  His  subsequent  conduct  has  been  cor- 
respondent with  this  unfavorable  indication,  and  has  given 
Utica  a  start  which  Rome  can  never  retrieve. 

Two  lots,  sixty-six  by  200  feet,  sell  from  $200  to  $250. 
Wild  land  in  the  vicinity  sells  from  $10  to  $12  50  per 
acre,  and  improved  land  for  $25.  A  Company  was  in- 
corporated the  last  session  of  the  Legislature,  for  manu- 
facturing iron  and  glass,  and  half  the  stock  is  already  filled 
up.  The  place  has  a  Post  Office  and  four  lawyers.  Rome 
being  on  a  perfect  level,  we  naturally  ask  from  what  has 
it  derived  its  name  ?  Where  are  its  seven  hills  ?  Has  it 
been  named  out  of  compKment  to  Lynch,  who  is  a  Roman 
Catholic  ? 


54  '  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

Rome  was  laid  out  into  a  town,  after  the  Canal  was 
made  or  contemplated.  It  derives  its  principal  advantages 
from  this  communication.  Independent  of  the  general  rise 
it  has  given  to  Lynch's  property,  it  has  drained  a  large 
swamp  for  him  near  the  village,  which  would  otherwise 
have  been  useless ;  and  yet  he  demanded  from  the  Compa- 
ny, at  first,  $7,000,  and  at  last,  $5,000  for  his  land,  through 
W'hich  the  Canal  was  to  pass.  The  appraisers  gave  him 
but  nominal  damages — one  dollar. 

The  Canal  at  Rome  is  1|  miles  long;  32  feet  wide  at 
top,  and  from  2\  to  3  feet  deep.  The  locks  are  73  feet 
long  and  12  wide ;  10  feet  lift  on  the  Mohawk,  and  8  feet 
on  Wood  Creek. 

July  12th.  The  Commissioners  had  a  meeting  here  ;  all 
present.  Adjourned  to  meet  in  Geneva.  At  this  meeting 
the  Senior  Commissioner  was  for  breaking  down  the 
mound  of  Lake  Erie,  and  letting  out  the  waters  to  follow 
the  level  of  the  country,  so  as  to  form  a  sloop  navigation 
with  the  Hudson,  and  without  any  aid  from  any  other 
water. 

The  site  of  Fort  Stanwix  or  Fort  Schuyler  is  in  this 
village.  It  contains  about  two  acres,  and  is  a  regular 
fortification,  with  four  bastions  and  a  deep  ditch.  The 
position  is  important  in  protecting  the  passage  between 
the  lakes  and  the  Mohawk  river.  It  is  now  in  ruins,  and 
partly  demolished  by  Lynch,  its  proprietor.  Since  the 
Revolutionary  War  a  block-house  was  erected  here  by  the 
State,  and  is  now  demolished.  About  half  a  mile  below 
the  Fort,  on  the  meadows,  are  the  remains  of  an  old  fort, 
called  Fort  William ;  and  about  a  mile  west  of  Rome,  near 
where  Wood  Creek  enters  the  Canal,  there  was  a  regular 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  55 

fort,  called  Fort  Newport.     Wood  Creek  is  here  so  nar- 
row that  you  can  step  over  it. 

Fort  Stanwix  is  celebrated  in  the  history  of  the  Revo- 
lutionary War,  for  a  regular  siege  which  it  stood.  And 
as  this  and  the  battle  of  Oriskany  are  talked  of  all  over 
the  country,  and  are  not  embodied  at  large  in  history,  I 
shall  give  an  account  of  them,  before  they  are  lost  in  the 
memory  of  tradition. 

After  having  dined  on  a  salmon  caught  at  Fish  Creek, 
about  eight  miles  from  Rome,  we  departed  in  our  boats  on 
the  descending  waters  of  Wood  Creek.  And  as  we  have 
now  got  rid  of  the  Eastern  waters,  it  may  be  proper  to 
make  some  remarks  on  the  Mohawk  River. 

This  river  is  about  120  miles  in  length,  from  Rome  to 
the  Hudson.  Its  course  is  from  west  to  east.  The  com- 
mencement of  its  navigation  is  at  Schenectady.  It  is  in 
all  places  sufficiently  wide  for  sloop  navigation ;  but  the 
various  shoals,  currents,  rifts,  and  rapids  with  which  it 
abounds,  and  which  are  very  perspicuously  laid  down  on 
Wright's  map,  render  the  navigation  difficult  even  for  bat- 
teaux.  The  Canal  Company  have  endeavored,  by  dams 
and  other  expedients,  to  deepen  the  river  and  improve 
the  navigation,  but  they  have  only  encountered  unneces- 
sary expense ;  the  next  freshet  or  rise  of  the  river  has 
either  swept  away  their  erections  or  changed  the  current. 
Mr.  Weston,  the  engineer,  from  a  view  of  the  multifarious 
difficulties  attendant  on  such  operations,  proposed  to  make 
a  canal  from  Schoharie  Creek  to  Schenectady,  on  the 
south  side  of  the  river ;  he  only  erred  in  not  embracing 
the  whole  route  of  the  Mohawk.  The  valley  formed  by 
that  river  is  admirably  calculated  for  a  canal.     The  ex- 


56  DK    WITT    CLINTON. 

pense  of  digging  it  will  not  exceed  that  of  a  good  turnpike. 
The  river  is  good  only  as  a  feeder. 

The  young  willows  which  line  the  banks  of  the  river, 
and  which  are  the  first  trees  that  spring  up  on  alluviums, 
show  the  continual  change  of  ground.  No  land  can  be 
more  fertile  than  the  flats  of  this  extensive  valley.  The 
settlements  here  were  originally  made  by  migrations  from 
Holland  and  Germany.  The  grants  under  the  Dutch 
Governor  were  from  given  points  on  the  Mohawk,  em- 
bracing all  the  land  south  or  north,  meaning  thereby  to 
include  only  the  interval  land,  and  deeming  the  upland  as 
nothing.  Chief-Justice  Yates  said,  that  he  recollected  a 
witness  to  state  in  Court  that  he  had  travelled  from  Kin- 
derhook  to  Albany  and  found  no  land. 

The  Mohawk  is  barren  of  fish.  It  formerly  contained 
great  plenty  of  trout — it  now  has  none.  The  largest  fish 
is  the  pike,  which  have  been  caught  weighing  fourteen 
pounds.  Since  the  canal  at  Rome,  chubb,  a  species  of 
dace,  have  come  into  the  Mohawk  through  Wood  Creek, 
and  are  said  to  be  plenty.  A  salmon  and  black  bass  have 
also  been  speared  in  this  river,  which  came  into  it  through 
the  canal.  It  would  not  be  a  little  singular  if  the  Hudson 
should  be  supplied  with  salmon  through  that  channel. 
The  falls  of  the  Cohoes  oppose  a  great  impediment  to  the 
passage  of  fish ;  but  the  Hudson  is  like  the  Mohawk,  a 
very  sterile  river  in  that  respect. 

We  saw  great  numbers  of  bitterns,  blackbirds,  robins, 
and  bank  swallows,  which  perforate  the  banks  of  the  river. 
Also,  some  wood-ducks,  gulls,  sheldrakes,  bob-linklins, 
king-birds,  crows,  kildares,  small  snipe,  woodpeckers, 
woodcock,  wrens,  yellow  birds,  phebes,  blue  jays,  high- 
holes,  pigeons,  thrushes,  and  larks.     We  also  saw  several 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  57 

king-fishers,  which  denote  the  presence  of  fish.  We  shot 
several  bitterns,  the  same  as  found  on  the  salt  marsh. 
The  only  shell  fish  were  the  snapping  turtle  and  muscle. 

We  left  Rome  after  dinner — five  Commissioners,  the  sur- 
veyor, and  a  young  gentleman.  Morris  and  Van  Rensse- 
laer were  to  go  by  land  and  meet  us  at  Geneva. 

We  went  this  day  as  far  as  Gilbert's  Tavern  on  the 
north  side  of  the  creek,  six  and  a-half  miles  by  water,  and 
four  and  a-half  miles  by  land,  from  Rome. 

We  saw  a  bright  red-bird  about  the  size  of  a  blue-bird. 
Its  wings  were  tipped  with  black,  and  the  bird  uncom- 
monly beautiful.  It  appeared  to  have  no  song,  and  no  one 
present  seemed  to  know  its  name.  I  saw  but  three  be- 
sides in  the  whole  course  of  my  tour,  one  on  the  Ridge 
Road  west  of  the  Genesee  River.  It  is,  therefore,  a  vara 
avis. 

On  the  banks  of  the  creek  were  plenty  of  boneset,  the 
Canada  shrub,  said  to  be  useful  in  medicine,  and  a  great 
variety  of  beautiful  flowering  plants.  Wild  gooseberry 
bushes,  wild  currants,  and  wild  hops  were  also  to  be  seen. 
The  gooseberries  were  not  good ;  the  hops  are  said  to  be 
as  good  as  the  domestic  ones.  In  the  long  weeds  and 
thick  underwood  we  were  at  first  apprehensive  of  rattle- 
snakes, of  which  we  were  told  there  are  three  kinds — the 
large  and  the  small,  and  the  dark  rattlesnake.  But  neither 
here  nor  in  any  part  of  our  tour  did  we  see  this  venom- 
ous reptile.  The  only  animals  we  saw  on  this  stream 
were  the  black  squirrel  and  the  hare,  as  it  is  called  in 
Albany,  a  creature  white  in  winter,  of  the  rabbit  kind, 
although  much  larger. 

About  a  mile  from  the  head  of  the  creek  we  passed  a 
small  stream,  from  the  south,  called  Black  or  Mud  Creek. 


58  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

Above  Gilbert's  the  Company  have  erected  four  wooden 
locks,  which  are  absolutely  necessary,  at  a  small  expense, 
when  compared  with  their  stone  locks  at  the  Little  Falls, 
which  cost  $500.  The  Company  have  also  shortened  the 
distance  on  the  whole  route  of  the  creek  about  four  miles, 
the  whole  distance  being  about  28  miles,  by  cutting  canals 
to  meet  the  serpentine  bend  of  the  stream.  It  is  suscepti- 
ble of  being  shortened,  so  as  to  make  only  sixteen  miles. 
The  State  reserved  a  thousand  acres  on  the  south  side, 
from  Gilbert's  down  to  the  Oneida  Lake,  to  be  applied  to 
the  improvement  of  the  navigation.  This  land  is  overrun 
by  squatters.  From  some  causes  which  cannot  be  satis- 
factorily explained,  unless  connected  with  our  mission, 
the  stock  of  this  Company  can  now  be  bought  for  $200  a 
share — the  nominal  value  is  $250. 

We  passed,  on  the  north  side  of  the  creek,  the  appear- 
ance of  an  old  fortification,  called  Fort  Bull.  The  re- 
mains of  an  old  dam,  to  impede  the  passage  of  a  hostile 
fleet,  and  to  assist  the  operations  of  the  fort,  were  also  to 
be  seen.  Although  there  is  now  a  road  on  that  side  of  the 
creek,  yet  in  those  days  there  could  have  been  no  march- 
ing by  land  with  an  army.  The  transportation  of  pro- 
visions must  have  been  impracticable  by  land ;  and,  in- 
deed, the  general  appearance  of  the  country  exhibits  a 
sunken  morass  or  swamp,  overgrown  with  timber  and 
formed  from  the  retreat  of  the  lake. 

Gilbert's  house  is  a  decent  comfortable  house,  consider- 
ing the  little  resort  of  travelers.  The  grounds  around  it 
are  overflown  by  the  creek,  and  the  situation  unhealthy. 
He  had  procured  fresh  salmon  from  Fish  creek  for  us,  at 
6d.  a  lb.  We  found  it  excellent.  In  the  neighborhood  of 
Gilbert's  there  is  said  to  be  good  bog  ore  ;  we  saw  speci- 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  59 

mens  furnished  by  a  man  who  had  come  to  explore  the 
country  for  that  purpose. 

We  rose  early  in  the  morning,  and  breakfasted  at  the 
Oak-Orchard,  six  miles  from  Gilbert's  on  the  south  side  of 
the  river.  The  ground  was  miry,  and  in  stepping  into  the 
boat,  my  foot  slipped,  and  I  was  partly  immersed  in  the 
creek.  The  captain  assisted  me  in  getting  out.  The 
dampness  of  the  weather,  and  the  sun  being  hardly  risen, 
induced  me,  for  greater  precaution,  to  change  my  clothes. 
This  trifling  incident  was  afterwards  magnified  by  the  pa- 
pers into  a  serious  affair. 

Near  Gilbert's,  the  Canada  Creek  comes  in  from  the 
north  side,  a  mile  west  the  Rocky  or  Black  Creek,  from 
the  south.  At  Oak-Orchard  the  first  rapid  commences; 
as  the  creek  was  extremely  low,  we  requested  the  locks 
to  be  left  open  above,  two  or  three  hours  before  we 
started.  This  furnished  us  with  a  flood  of  water,  and  ac- 
celerated our  descent.  We  found,  however,  that  we  went 
faster  than  the  water,  and  had  frequently  to  wait.  The 
creek  was  almost  the  whole  distance  choked  with  logs, 
and  crooked  beyond  belief;  in  some  places  after  bending 
in  the  most  serpentine  direction  for  a  mile,  it  would  return 
just  below  the  point  of  departure.  From  Wright's  sur- 
vey, the  distance — 

Miles.  Cbaics. 

From  Gilbert's  to  the  mouth  of  the  creek,  by  the 

old  route— is  21    24 

By  the  present  route,  as  improved  by  the  Canal 

Company,        .......        17    61 

On    a    straight    line,  which    is  practicable  for  a 

Canal,     .        , 9    44 

We  stopped  at  Smith's,  a  German,  who  lives  on  the 


60  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

south  side  of  the  creek,  and  about  eight  miles  from  the 
Oneida  Lake.  The  creek  is  sandy,  and  very  winding  from 
this  place, — the  sand,  accumulated  at  such  a  distance  from 
the  lake,  demonstrates  the  truth  of  my  theory  respecting 
the  formation  of  the  ground  from  Rome  to  the  lake. 
Smith  is  not  forty  years  of  age,  and  has  been  settled  here 
fifteen  years.  He  has  six  daughters,  five  of  whom  are 
married ;  two  sons,  twenty-five  grand-children,  and  one 
great-grand-child,  who  almost  all  reside  in  his  vicinity. 
The  female  part  of  his  descendants  were  assembled  to 
rake  his  hay  ;  their  children  were  brought  with  them,  and 
the  whole  exhibited  a  picture  of  rural  manners  and  rude 
industry,  not  unpleasing. 

About  six  miles  from  the  lake  we  saw  the  remains  of  a 
batteaux,  sunk  by  the  British  on  their  retreat  from  the 
siege  of  Fort  Stanwix. 

Four  miles  from  the  lake  we  dined  at  one  Babbits',  on 
the  north  side  of  the  creek.  We  found,  on  such  occa- 
sions, our  own  provisions  and  liquors,  and  were  only  pro- 
vided with  house-room  and  fire  for  cooking.  The  family 
were  obliging  and  simple.  They  had  been  forewarned  of 
our  approach,  and  their  attention  was  turned  towards  the 
contemplated  canal.  As  they  are  the  proprietors  of  the 
soil,  which  was  purchased  from  General  Hamilton,  they 
were  apprehensive  that  the  canal  would  be  diverted  from 
them,  and  pass  through  Camden,  and  the  old  lady  said  she 
would  charge  us  nothing,  if  we  straitened  the  creek  and 
lowered  the  lake.  The  only  potable  water  here  is  from 
the  creek,  which  is  very  bad,  and  no  other  can  be  pro- 
cured, as  the  creek  is  on  a  level  with  the  surrounding 
country.  The  family  furnished  us  with  tolerable  vinegar, 
made  of  maple  juice.     The  old  lady,  on  being  interroga- 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  61 

ted  as  to  the  religion  she  professed,  said  that  she  belonged 
to  the  church,  but  what  church  she  could  not  tell.  The 
oracle  of  the  family  was  a  deformed,  hump-backed  young 
man,  called  John.  On  all  occasions  his  opinions  were  as 
decisive  as  the  responses  of  the  sybil ;  and  he  reminded 
us  of  the  Arabian  Night's  Entertainment,  which  represents 
persons  hump-backed  as  possessed  of  great  shrewdness. 
John  told  us  a  story  of  Irish  Peggy,  a  girl  whom  he  de- 
scribed as  going  down  in  a  batteaux,  so  handsome  and 
well-dressed  that  she  attracted  him  and  all  the  young  men 
in  the  neighborhood,  who  visited  the  charming  creature  ; 
that  on  her  return  some  weeks  afterwards,  she  looked  as 
ugly  as  she  had  been  before  beautiful,  and  was  addicted 
to  swearing  and  drunkenness  ;  that  she  had  been  indi- 
rectly the  cause  of  the  death  of  three  men ;  that  one  of 
them,  a  negro,  was  drowned  in  a  lock,  who  had  gone  to 
sleep  on  the  deck  of  the  boat,  in  order  to  accommodate 
her  and  her  paramour ;  that  another  fell  overboard, 
when  she  had  retired  with  her  gallant,  and  prevented  by 
it  assistance  that  might  have  saved  him;  and  that  the 
third  one  experienced  a  similar  fate.  The  commodore 
did  not  fail  to  extract  a  moral  from  John's  story,  favorable 
to  the  cause  of  good  morals ;  and  admonished  him  to  be- 
ware of  the  lewd  woman,  "  whose  house  is  the  way  to  hell, 
going  down  to  the  chambers  of  death." 

A  boat  passed  us  at  this  house,  which  speared  a  salmon 
with  a  boat-hook  in  passing  under  a  bridge.  The  fre- 
quent passage  of  boats,  and  the  shallowness  of  the  wa- 
ters, terrify  the  salmon  from  ascending  in  great  numbers 
beyond  this  place. 

We  passed  James  Dean's  old  house  on  the  right,  about 
two  miles  from  the  lake.     He  first  went  among  the  Onei- 


62  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

das  as  a  silversmith,  vending  trinkets.  He  afterwards 
acted  as  an  interpreter,  and  coaxed  them  out  of  large 
tracts  of  land.  He  is  now  rich,  a  Judge  of  Oneida  coun- 
ty, has  been  a  member  of  Assembly,  and  is  a  prominent 
Federalist. 

Fish  Creek  enters  Wood  Creek,  a  mile  from  the  lake, 
on  the  north  side.  It  is  much  larger  and  deeper,  and 
derives  its  name  from  the  excellent  fish  with  which  it 
abounds,  up  to  the  Falls,  which  are  ten  miles  from  its 
mouth.  It  is  frequented  by  great  numbers  of  salmon ; 
and  we  saw  Indians  with  their  spears  at  work  after  that 
fish,  and  met  two  canoes  going  on  the  same  business,  with 
their  pine  knots  and  apparatus  ready  for  the  attack.  The 
Indians  have  reserved  the  land  on  each  side  of  this  creek, 
in  order  to  secure  themselves  the  benefit  of  fishing. 

The  confluence  of  these  streams  makes  a  considerable 
river  from  this  place  to  the  Oneida  Lake,  deep,  wide,  and 
gloomy,  and  resembling  the  fabled  Avernus.  You  can 
see  the  track  of  its  black  and  muddy  waters  a  consider- 
able distance  in  the  great  basin  into  which  it  discharges. 
We  arrived  at  Mrs.  Jackson's  tavern,  at  seven  o'clock, 
near  the  mouth  of  Wood  Creek,  which  enters  Oneida 
Lake  from  the  north-east.  To  the  west,  the  eye  was  lost 
in  the  expanse  of  waters,  there  being  no  limits  to  the  hori- 
zon. A  western  wind  gently  agitated  the  surface  of  the 
waters.  A  number  of  canoes  darting  through  the  lake  after 
fish  in  a  dark  night,  with  lighted  flambeaux  of  pine  knots 
fixed  on  elevated  iron  frames,  made  a  very  picturesque 
and  pleasing  exhibition.  We  walked  on  the  beach,  com- 
posed of  the  finest  sand,  like  the  shores  of  the  ocean, 
and  covered  with  a  few  straggling  trees.  Here  we  met 
with  an  Indian  canoe,  filled  with  eels,  salmon,  and  mon- 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  63 

strous  cat-fish.  In  another  place  we  saw  the  native  of 
the  woods  cooking  his  fish  and  eating  his  meal  on  the 
beach.  We  could  not  resist  the  temptation  of  the  cold 
bath.  On  returning  to  the  house,  we  found  an  excellent 
supper  prepared  ;  the  principal  dish  was  salmon,  dressed 
in  various  ways. 

The  salmon  come  into  this  lake  in  May,  and  continue 
till  winter.  They  are  said  to  eat  nothing.  This  is  the 
season  of  their  excellence.  They  formerly  sold  for  one 
shilling  a-piece ;  now  the  current  price  is  sixpence  a 
pound.  The  salmon  are  annoyed  by  an  insect  called  a 
tick,  and  run  up  into  the  cold  spring  brooks  for  relief. 

Near  this  tavern  there  are  to  be  seen  the  marks  of  an 
old  fortification,  covering  about  one-eighth  of  an  acre,  and 
called  the  Royal  Block-House.  In  this  place.  Col.  Porter 
and  the  young  gentlemen  made  a  tent  of  the  sails  and  set- 
ting poles,  and,  with  the  aid  of  a  fire  and  our  mattrasses, 
had  a  good  night's  lodging.  The  other  Commissioners 
slept  in  the  house  ;  the  window  panes  were  out  and  the 
doors  open.  The  resort  of  Indians  and  the  sandy  ground 
had  drawn  together  a  crowd  of  fleas,  which,  with  the 
musquitoes,  annoyed  us  beyond  suflTerance  the  whole 
night.  Some  of  the  family  sat  up  late  ;  the  creakings  of 
a  crazy  old  building  and  the  noise  of  voices,  added  to  our 
other  annoyances,  completely  deprived  us  of  rest.  The 
house  was  in  other  respects  a  comfortable  one.  The  ice, 
which  we  used  to  correct  the  badness  of  the  creek  water, 
had  a  pleasant  eflfect. 

We  found  here  a  new  species  of  mullen,  with  a  white 
bushy  top  of  flowers.  Sometimes  the  top  was  yellow. 
The  common  mullen  was  also  plenty.  , 

July  lAth.    Although  the  wind  on  this  lake  is  generally 


64  UE    WITT    CLINTON. 

easterly  in  the  morning  and  westerly  in  the  afternoon,  yet 
we  had  no  other  resource  than  our  oars.  At  the  entrance 
of  the  Wood  Creek,  and  about  fifty  rods  from  its  mouth, 
we  found  a  sand-bar  forty  rods  wide.  The  shallowest 
part  was  two  feet  deep,  and  the  channel  between  three 
and  four  feet  wide. 

The  Oneida  Creek  comes  in  on  the  south  side  of  the 
lake.  At  its  mouth  it  is  about  as  large  as  Wood  Creek, 
and  as  you  ascend  one-third  larger.  There  are  no  bars 
at  its  mouth.  The  salmon  go  up  as  far  as  Stockbridge. 
This  Creek,  Wood  Creek,  and  Canaseragas  Creek,  are 
the  principal  sources  which  supply  the  Oneida  Lake. 
According  to  the  general  computation,  this  lake  is  thirty 
miles  long ;  but  it  does  not  exceed  twenty  miles  in  length, 
and  from  five  to  eight  in  breath.  In  winter  it  freezes, 
and  is  passable  in  sleighs. 

The  waters  of  the  lake  were  saturated  with  small  dark 
atoms,  which  render  them  unsalubrious,  and  when  drank, 
operate  emetically,  and  produce  fever.  This,  in  the 
language  of  the  boatmen,  is  termed  the  lake  blossom. 
Whether  it  arises  from  the  farina  of  the  chestnut,  or  any 
other  trees  that  blossom  about  this  time,  the  eggs  of  in- 
sects, or  collections  of  animalculae,  we  could  not  deter- 
mine. We  examined  the  water  by  a  microscope,  and 
could  come  to  no  conclusion.  If  I  were  to  give  an 
opinion,  it  would  be,  that  it  is  not  an  animal  substance, 
but  small  atoms  swept  into  the  lake  by  the  waters  of  Wood 
Creek,  from  the  vegetable  putrefactions  generated  in  the 
swamps  and  marshes  through  which  that  stream  runs. 

Independently  of  several  collections  of  sand  and  reeds, 
which  can  hardly  be  termed  islands,  and  of  an  islet  about 
the  middle  of  the  lake,  which  has  a  single  tree,  and  looks 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  65 

at  a  distance  like  a  ship  under  sail,  there  are  two  islands, 
about  two  miles  from  the  outlet,  half  a  mile  from  the 
south  shore  of  the  lake.  They  are  within  a  short  distance 
from  each  other.  One  island  contains  fourteen  acres,  and 
the  other,  called  Frenchman's  Island,  twenty-seven  acres. 
A  person  can  wade  from  one  to  the  other ;  and  bears,  in 
swimming  the  lake,  frequently  stop  here  to  rest.  These 
islands  belong  to  the  State. 

One  of  the  islands  is  called  the  Frenchman's  Island, 
from  a  person  of  that  nation,  who  took  possession  of  it 
about  fifteen  years  ago,  with  a  beautiful  wife.     He  resided 
there  until  the  cold  weather  came,  and  then  he  wintered 
in  Albany,   Rome,  or  Rotterdam.     He  had  a  handsome 
collection  of  books,  musical  instruments,  and  all  the  ap- 
pendages of  former  opulence  and  refinement.     He  was 
apparently  discontented  and  depressed — cultivated  a  hand- 
some garden  with  his  own  hands,  and  sowed  half-an-acre 
of  wheat,  which  had  a  beautiful  appearance.     His  wife 
bore  him  children  here,  and  altogether  he  had  three.     He 
became  by  practice   a  very  expert  fowler,  hunter,  and 
angler,  and  was  a  hard-worker.     He  lived  here  seven 
summers.     He  spent  a  winter  at  the  Oneida  Castle,  and 
sent  his  clothes  for  washing  sometimes  to  Albany.     When 
he  first  came,  he  had  a  considerable  sum  of  money,  and, 
becoming  poor,  he  sold  some  of  his  books  for  subsistence, 
and  he  bartered  some  valuable  ones  to  Major  Dezeng  for 
two  cows.     He  was  very  proud  and  reserved — went  at 
last  bare-headed,   and    the   general   suspicion   was,   that 
jealousy  was  the  cause  of  his  seclusion.     They  visited 
their  neighbor  Stevens,  at  the  outlet,  twice  a-year.     We 
were  told  by  Mrs.  Stevens,  that  his  name  was  Devity  or 
Devitzy ;  that  his  countrymen  in  Albany  made  a  subscrip- 
5 


QQ  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

tion,  which  enabled  him  to  go  to  France,  with  his  family ; 
that  she  returned  the  visits  of  the  family,  and  found  them 
apparently  happy ;  and  that  in  her  opinion,  the  French- 
woman had  no  extraordinary  pretensions  to  beauty. 

We  stopped  at  a  house  at  the  north  side  of  the  lake,  in 
the  town  of  Bengal.  The  proprietor  bought  sixty-six  acres 
from  J.  Munro,  for  four  dollars  an  acre.  The  family  were 
eagerly  engaged  in  the  salmon  fishing,  and  they  told  us  that 
they  sometimes  caught  with  the  seine  one  hundred  per  day; 
that  fifteen  fill  a  large  barrel,  for  which  they  ask  twelve 
dollars  in  salt.  They  also  informed  us  that  shad  recently 
came  up  the  lake.  The  salmon  frequently  weighs  twenty 
pounds.  The  black  or  Oswego  bass  is  a  fine  fish,  some- 
times weighing  eight  pounds,  and  is  like  our  black  fish,  but 
harder. 

As  we  approached  Rotterdam,  we  saw  a  seine  drawn  at 
the  mouth  of  a  small  cold  brook,  and  six  salmon  caught  at 
a  haul.  A  kingfisher,  as  large  as  a  hawk,  was  also  flying 
about  for  prey.  We  amused  ourselves  on  our  voyage 
over  the  lake,  by  trolling  with  a  hook  and  bait  of  red  cloth 
and  white  feathers,  and  caught  several  Oswego  bass,  yel- 
low perch,  and  pikes. 

We  dined  at  Rotterdam,  a  decayed  settlement  of  George 
Sinba's,  eleven  miles  from  the  outlet,  containing  eight  or 
ten  houses,  and  exhibiting  marks  of  a  premature  growth. 
There  are  mills  on  a  small  creek,  and  while  at  dinner,  our 
men  speared  several  fish  in  it — among  others,  one  eighteen 
inches  long,  spotted,  the  head  like  a  cat-fish,  and  down- 
wards resembling  an  eel,  but  like  a  dog-fish  in  shape. 
Some  called  it  an  eel-pout,  and  others  a  curse.  It  appears 
to  be  a  nondescript. 

Sinba's  agent,  Mr.  Dundass,  was  absent  at  Salina.    We 


PEIVATE    JOURNAL.  67 

were  well  received  by  his  house-keeper,  and  dined  on 
chowder,  prepared  by  Gen.  North.  The  thermometer  here 
was  at  75°.  We  were  told  that  fleas  infest  all  new  set- 
tlements for  the  first  two  years,  particularly  in  pine  or 
sandy  countries,  and  that  we  must  not  expect  to  escape 
them.  Our  Commodore  appeared  old  and  decayed,  al- 
though there  were  two  older  men  among  the  Commis- 
sioners. Supporting  himself  upon  a  stick,  he  attracted  the 
commiseration  of  an  old  man,  seventy  years  of  age,  in  the 
log-house  this  morning,  who  rose  from  his  seat  and  said, 
*•'  Old  daddy,  shall  I  hand  you  a  chair  ?"  We  were  happy 
to  see  our  chief  revive  under  the  potent  influence  of  port 
and  chowder. 

After  dinner  we  continued  our  voyage  with  an  adverse 
wind.  As  the  evening  shades  prevailed,  we  were  saluted 
with  the  melancholy  notes  of  the  loon.  We  passed  three 
boats  under  sail  going  up  the  lake. 

This  night  we  slept  at  Stevens's,  at  the  outlet  of  the  lake, 
nine  miles  by  land  and  eleven  by  water  from  Rotterdam. 
Here  commences  Onondaga  or  Oneida  river,  the  only  out- 
let of  the  lake,  about  as  large  as  the  mouth  of  Wood  Creek. 
The  bars  at  the  outlet  are  rocky,  wide,  difficult  to  remove, 
and  so  shallow  that  a  horse  can  easily  pass  over  them. 
There  are  two  eel  weirs  here,  in  which  many  are  caught. 
Stevens  has  lived  in  this  place,  which  is  in  the  town  of 
Constantia,  eighteen  years ;  has  rented  it  for  seventeen 
years,  at  $75  a-year.  He  has  no  neighbors  within  four 
miles  on  this  side  of  the  river.  On  the  other  side  is  the 
town  of  Cicero,  in  which  there  are  several  settlements. 
This  is  a  clean  house,  in  which  we  were  as  well  accommo- 
dated as  the  situation  of  the  country  would  admit. 


68  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

There  is  a  small  island  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  con 
taining  six  acres,  and  belonging  to  the  State,  for  sale. 

Several  Onondaga  Indians  were  here.  Numerous  boats, 
traversing  the  river  at  night  for  salmon,  and  illuminated 
with  fine  flambeaux,  made  a  brilliant  appearance.  A 
curious  fungus  or  excrescence  of  the  pine,  with  thirty  rings, 
denoting  thirty  years'  growth,  was  shown  here.  It  is  used 
for  bitters  and  is  very  scarce.  Black  raspberries  grow  wild 
in  great  abundance.  They  composed,  with  fresh  salmon, 
the  principal  part  of  our  supper. 

Stevens's  is  twelve  miles  from  Salina  by  land,  and  thirty- 
two  by  water.  The  salt  used  in  the  country  is  brought 
the  latter  way,  and  is  purchased  at  the  springs  for  2s.  or 
Is.  6d.  per  bushel. 

Land  in  Cicero  or  Cato,  is  worth  from  three  to  five  dollars 
per  acre.  Stevens  told  us  that  they  had  no  other  preacher 
than  Mr.  Shepherd,  who  lived  over  the  river  in  Cicero ; 
that  he  formerly  resided  in  Goshen,  and  got  three  military 
lots  as  captain  or  major  of  artificers,  although  not  legally 
entitled  to  them, — that  Judge  Thompson,  a  member  of 
the  Senate,  and  of  Orange  county,  received  one  lot  as  a 
fee  for  his  services  in  getting  the  law  passed. 

Stevens's  house  is  one  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  mouth 
of  the  lake.  Deer  come  close  up  to  it.  We  saw  an  adder 
and  another  snake  sunning  themselves  on  the  ramparts  of 
Fort  Brewster,  in  the  rear  of  the  house.  This  was  erect- 
ed in  the  French  War,  was  a  regular  work,  ditch  and  bas- 
tions, all  covering  about  an  acre.  This  must  have  been 
an  important  pass  to  defend,  and  would  now  be  an  excel- 
lent site  for  a  town.  It  belongs  to  Chancellor  Lansing, 
who  asks  fifteen  dollars  an  acre. 

On  Sunday,  about  five  weeks  back  from  this  day,  a  ter- 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  69 

rible  tornado  was  felt  at  this  place,  about  sundown.  The 
wind  was  south-west  and  attended  with  rain.  It  had 
nearly  unroofed  the  house,  passed  over  Camillus,  the  salt 
springs,  was  felt  at  Rome  about  nine  o'clock,  and  pro- 
ceeded down  the  Mohawk. 

The  following  questions  are  worthy  of  consideration,  in 
reference  to  lowering  the  outlet  of  the  lake  : — 

1.  May  it  not  lower  or  drain  off  the  waters  of  Wood 
Creek  ? 

2.  May  not  the  draining  of  the  land  render  the  country 
more  unhealthy  than  at  present  ? 

July  15th.  Sunday.  The  surveyor  being  employed 
in  taking  the  level  of  the  outlet,  we  did  not  get  out  until 
eleven  o'clock.  Our  object  was  to  reach  Three-River 
Point  this  day.  The  distance  by  land  is  seven,  and  by 
water,  eighteen  and  three-quarter  miles.  The  whole 
length  of  the  outlet  is,  then,  nineteen  miles.  In  width  it 
varies  from  forty  to  one  hundred  yards.  The  banks  are 
low,  and  covered  on  both  sides  with  nut,  oak,  and  maple, 
and  beach  trees,  denoting  the  richest  land. 

Four  miles  from  Stevens's,  Comeroy  Creek  enters  the 
river,  on  the  south  side.  For  a  considerable  distance  be- 
low there  is  shallow  water  with  a  stony  bottom,  rapid  cur- 
rent and  rift,  more  difficult  than  the  one  at  the  outlet, 
making  a  fall  of  three-and-a-half  feet. 

On  our  way  down,  I  saw  several  large  flocks  of  ducks  and 
two  large  eagles.  Col.  Porter  shot  one  of  them  on  the  wing 
— he  was  alive,  and  measured  eight  feet  from  the  extremity 
of  one  wing  to  another.  He  was  a  bald  eagle  ;  his  talons 
were  formidable  ;  head  and  tail  white.  At  Three-River 
Point  he  beat  off  several  dogs  in  a  pitched  battle. 

After  having  dined  aboard,  near  one  Vickery's,  whose 


70  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

house  was  well  filled  with  Lyons'  speeches,  we  proceeded, 
and  passed  the  grave  of  a  drowned  Frenchman,  who  once 
shot  a  panther  when  in  the  attitude  of  leaping  at  him, 
nine  feet  and  eleven  inches  long.  The  head  is  now  in 
Walton's  store,  at  Schenectady. 

Before  sundown  we  reached  Three-River  Point.  This 
place  derives  its  name  from  the  confluence  of  the  Oneida 
and  Seneca  Rivers,  and  the  river  formed  by  this  junction,  is 
then  denominated  Oswego  River.  It  lies  in  Cicero, 
on  the  south  side  of  the  Oneida  River,  is  part  of  a  Gospel 
lot,  and  an  excellent  position  for  a  town.  All  the  salt-boats 
from  the  Springs,  and  the  boats  from  the  Cayuga  and 
Seneca  Lakes,  rendezvous  at  this  place ;  and  we  found  the 
house,  which  is  kept  by  one  Magie,  crowded  with  noisy 
drunken  people,  and  the  landlord,  wife,  and  son  were  in 
the  same  situation.  The  house  being  small  and  dirty,  we 
took  refuge  in  a  room  in  which  were  two  beds  and  a 
weaver's  loom,  a  beaufet  and  dressers  for  tea  utensils,  and 
furniture,  and  there  we  had  a  very  uncomfortable  collation. 

Col.  Porter  erected  his  tent  and  made  his  fire  on  the  hill, 
where  he  was  comfortably  accommodated  with  the  young 
gentlemen.  I  reconnoitered  up  stairs  ;  but  in  passing  to  the 
bed,  I  saw  several  dirty,  villainous-looking  fellows  in  their 
bunks,  and  all  placed  in  the  same  garret.  I  retreated  from 
the  disgusting  scene,  and  left  Gen.  North,  Mr.  De  Witt, 
and  Mr.  Geddes,  in  the  undisputed  possession  of  the  Attic 
beds.  The  Commodore  and  I  took  possession  of  the  beds 
below  ;  but  previous  to  this,  we  were  assured  by  an  ap- 
parently decent  girl,  that  they  were  free  from  vermin,  and 
that  the  beds  above  were  well  stored  with  them.  Satisfied 
with  this  assurance,  we  prepared  ourselves  for  a  comfort- 
able sleep,  after  a  fatiguing  day.     But  no  sooner  were  we 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  71 

lodged,  than  our  noses  were  assailed  by  a  thousand  vil- 
lainous smells,  meeting  our  olfactory  nerves  in  all  direc- 
tions, the  most  potent  exhalation  arising  from  boiled  pork, 
which  was  left  close  to  our  heads.  Our  ears  were  invaded 
by  a  commingled  noise  of  drunken  people  in  an  adjacent 
room,  of  crickets  in  the  hearth,  of  rats  in  the  walls,  of 
dogs  under  the  beds,  by  the  whizzing  of  musquitoes  about 
our  heads,  and  the  flying  of  bats  about  the  room.  The 
women  in  the  house  were  continually  pushing  open  the 
door,  and  pacing  the  room  for  plates,  and  knives,  and 
spoons ;  and  the  dogs  would  avail  themselves  of  such  op- 
portunities to  come  in  under  our  beds.  Under  these  cir- 
cumstances sleep  was  impractica'ble  ;  and,  after  the  family 
had  retired  to  rest,  we  heard  our  companions  above  rolling 
about  restless  in  their  beds.  This  we  set  down  to  the 
credit  of  the  bugs,  and  we  hugged  ourselves  on  our  superior 
comforts.  We  were,  however,  soon  driven  up  by  the  an- 
noyance of  vermin.  On  lighting  a  candle  and  examining 
the  beds,  we  found  that  we  had  been  assailed  by  an  army 
of  bed-bugs,  aided  by  a  body  of  light  infantry  in  the  shape 
of  fleas,  and  a  regiment  of  musquito  cavalry.  I  retreated 
from  the  disgusting  scene  and  immediately  dressed  myself, 
and  took  refuge  in  a  segar. 

Leaving  the  Commodore  to  his  meditations,  I  went  out 
on  the  Point.  The  moon  was  in  its  full  orb  and  blaze  of 
unclouded  majesty.  Here  my  feelings  were  not  only  re- 
lieved, but  my  mind  was  elevated  by  the  scenery  before 
me.  The  ground  on  which  I  stood  was  elevated;  below  me 
flowed  the  Oneida  River,  and  on  my  left  the  Seneca  poured 
its  waters,  and  uniting  together  they  formed  a  majestic 
stream.  Flocks  of  white  geese  were  sporting  on  the  water 
— a  number  of  boats  lying  moored  to  the  banks — a  white 


72  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

tent  erected  on  the  right,  enlivened  by  a  blazing  fire — an 
Indian  hut  on  the  opposite  bank,  displaying  the  red  man 
of  the  forest,  and  his  family,  preparing  for  the  sports  of  the 
day — the  bellowing  of  thousands  of  frogs  in  the  waters,  and 
the  roaring  of  bloodhounds,  in  pursuit  of  deer  and  foxes, 
added  to  the  singularity  of  the  scene.  My  mind  became 
tranquillized,  and  I  availed  myself  of  a  vacant  mattrass  in 
the  tent,  and  enjoyed  a  comfortable  sleep  of  two  hours. 

The  next  day,  Gen.  North  and  myself  found  bed-bugs 
on  our  persons.  As  this  is  the  most  frequent  and  formi- 
dable enemy  to  sleep  that  we  encountered,  it  may  not  be 
amiss  to  state,  that  a  flannel  shirt  is  said  to  be  a  good 
protection  against  them,  and  that  camphor,  put  under  your 
pillow,  is  represented  to  be  more  efficacious. 

Salina  is  thirteen  miles  by  water  from  this  place.  In 
the  neighboring  town  of  Camillus,  a  quarry  of  gypsum  has 
been  discovered,  of  the  grey  kind,  and  said  to  be  very 
good.  A  Company,  called  the  Onondaga  Gypsum  Com- 
pany, has  been  established  to  work  it. 

July  \Qt1i.  We  left  this  disagreeable  place  as  soon  as 
light  would  permit,  and  gave  it  the  name  of  Bug  Bay, 
which  it  will  probably  long  retain. 

Three-River  Rapid  commences  about  two  miles  from  the 
Point.  Here  we  saw  salt-boats  below  the  rapid,  which 
unloaded  half  their  cargoes  in  order  to  get  over  it, — also 
rafts  from  the  Cayuga  Lake,  which  had  been  detained 
four  weeks,  by  the  lowness  of  the  water.  The  rafts  in- 
tended to  form  a  junction  at  Oswego,  and  to  proceed  over 
Lake  Ontario,  and  thence  down  the  St.  Lawrence  to 
Quebec.  It  is  supposed  they  will  bring  $20,000  at  that 
place.     The  attempt  is  extremely  hazardous.     Below  the 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  73 

rapids,  there  was  an  encampment  of  Onondaga  Indians  ; 
some  of  their  canoes  were  composed  of  Elm  Bark. 

Two  or  three  miles  farther  we  passed  a  rapid,  called 
the  Horse-Shoe  Rapid.  The  Oswego  River  is  about 
twenty-four  miles  long.  The  fall  from  Three-River  Point 
to  Oswego,  is  about  112  feet.  It  contains  a  great  many 
rapids,  which  I  shall  specify.  Considering  that  it  is  con- 
stituted by  the  Oneida  and  Seneca  Rivers,  which  proceed 
from  the  Oneida,  the  Onondaga,  the  Cayuga,  the  Seneca, 
theCanandaigua,  the  Oswego,  and  the  Skeneatelas  Lakes,  it 
is  surprising  that  it  is  not  larger.  It  is  about  the  width  of 
the  Mohawk,  and  appears  like  that  river  reversed.  The 
river  scenery  is  delightful.  The  large  and  luxuriant  trees 
on  its  banks  form  an  agreeable  shade,  and  indicate  great 
fertility. 

After  proceeding  seven  miles,  we  breakfasted  at  a  fine 
cool  brook  on  the  north  side,  and  at  the  foot  of  Horse- 
Shoe  Rapid.  Our  breakfast  consisted  of  common  bread, 
Oswego  bread  and  biscuit,  coffee  and  tea,  without  milk, 
butter,  perch,  salmon,  and  Oswego  bass  ;  fried  pork,  ham, 
boiled  pork  and  Bologna  sausages,  old  and  new  cheese, 
wood-duck,  teal  and  dipper.  Some  of  these,  luxuries  as 
they  may  appear  on  paper,  were  procured  by  our  guns  and 
fishing  tackle,  on  our  descent.  We  saw  plenty  of  wild 
ducks,  some  wild  pigeons  and  partridges,  some  of  which 
we  shot.  We  were  also  successful  in  trolUng  for  fish.  The 
crane,  the  fish-hawk,  the  king-fisher,  and  the  bald-eagle, 
we  saw,  but  no  bitterns  on  the  descending  river.  At  this 
place  we  tasted  the  wild  cucumber,  the  root  of  which  is 
white  and  pleasant,  with  a  spicy,  pleasant  taste.  Why  it 
is  called  the  cucumber  is  not  easy  to  imagine,  as  there  is 
no  point  of  resemblance. 


74  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

In  a  smart  shower  we  arrived  at  the  celebrated  Falls  of 
Oswego,  twelve  miles  from  Three-River  Point,  and  twelve 
miles  from  Oswego.  There  is  a  carrying  place  of  a  mile 
here,  the  upper  and  lower  landing  being  that  distance 
apart.  At  both  landings  there  were  about  15,000  bar- 
rels of  salt,  containing  five  bushels  each,  and  each  bushel 
weighing  fifty-six  pounds.  It  is  supposed  that  the  same 
quantity  has  been  already  carried  down,  making  altogether 
30,000  barrels.  The  carriage  at  this  place  is  one  shiUing 
for  each  ban'el.  Loaded  boats  cannot  with  safety  descend 
the  Falls,  but  light  boats  may,  notwithstanding  the  descent 
is  twelve  feet,  and  the  roaring  of  the  troubled  waves 
among  great  rocks  is  really  terrific.  Pilots  conduct  the 
boats  over  for  one  dollar  each ;  and  being  perfectly  ac- 
quainted with  the  Falls,  no  accidents  are  known  to  hap- 
pen, although  the  least  miss  step  would  dash  the  vessels  to 
atoms.  The  Falls  are  composed  of  high  rocks,  apparently 
granite.     The  ascent  by  boat  is  impracticable. 

On  the  south  side  of  the  river  is  Hannibal,  in  Onondaga, 
and  on  the  north  side,  Fredericksburgh,  in  Oneida  County. 
The  State  has  reserved  forty  acres  at  the  Falls,  on  the 
north  side,  which  Joshua  Forman  has  leased  for  eighteen 
years,  and  has  erected  a  saw  and  grist-mill,  by  which  he 
has  blocked  up  the  ancient  carrying-place,  that  did  not 
exceed  one  hundred  yards.  He  is  the  proprietor  of  the 
adjacent  land,  on  both  sides  of  the  river.  There  are  a  few 
houses  at  the  carrying-place,  and  an  excellent  quarry  of 
free-stone,  between  the  two  landings.  A  little  below  the 
Upper  Falls,  a  ravine,  the  ancient  bed  of  a  creek,  appears, 
which  falls  in  just  below  the  Lower.  Hei'e  a  canal  might 
be  easily  cut  round  the  Falls. 

We  left  our  squadron  above  the  Upper  Falls,  and  hired 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  75 

a  boat  to  conduct  us  to  Oswego,  from  the  lower  landing. 
The  wind  was  adverse,  and  the  weather  showery,  but  the 
descent  was  so  favorable  that  we  progressed  with  great 
rapidity.  The  river  downwards  is  full  of  rapids,  which  I 
shall  notice,  and  the  banks  precipitous  and  rocky.  We 
dined  at  L.  Van  Volkenburgh's  tavern,  two  miles  on  our 
way,  and  on  the  north  side.  This  situation  is  very  plea- 
sant ;  two  islands  opposite  the  house.  On  our  way  we 
saw  fragments  of  the  rafts  before-mentioned,  at  different 
places  all  along  the  river. 

A  strong  rapid,  eight  miles  from  Oswego,  is  called  by 
the  boatmen  Braddock's  Rift,  by  a  misnomer.  It  ought 
to  be  denominated  Bradstreet's.  At  the  foot  of  this  rapid, 
there  is  an  island  of  ten  acres,  called  Bradstreet's  island, 
where,  our  pilot  told  us,  he  was  defeated  by  the  Indians, 
who  attacked  him  from  each  side  of  the  river.  The  island 
is  in  the  center,  and  the  river  narrow.  Here  tradition  is 
contradictory  to  history. 

We  passed  a  number  of  salt-boats.  The  commerce  in 
salt  is  great  between  Oswego  and  the  Falls.  As  we  ap- 
proached the  former  place  the  country  bore  marks  of  cul- 
tivation ;  the  banks  became  more  elevated,  the  current  in- 
creased in  force,  and  the  rapids  in  number.  About  seven 
miles  from  Oswego  we  encountered  a  rapid  called  Smooth 
Rock  Rapid.  Six  and  a-half  miles,  the  Devil's  Horn  ;  six 
miles,  the  Six-Mile  Rift ;  then  the  Little  Smooth  Rock 
Rapid,  the  Devil's  Warping  Bars  ;  four  miles,  the  Devil's 
Horse  Race ;  and  one  mile  from  Oswego,  the  Oswego  Rift, 
a  violent  rapid,  nearly  as  bad  as  the  Oswego  Falls,  having 
a  fall  of  at  least  five  feet. 

We  arrived  at  Oswego  at  seven  p.  m.,  and  put  up  at  a 
tolerable  tavern,  kept  by  E.  P^irsons,  called  Colonel.     He 


76  RE    WITT    CLINTON. 

was  second  in  command  in  Shay's  insurrection,  and  for- 
merly kept  an  inn  in  Manlius-Square.  He  was  once  se- 
lected as  foreman  of  the  Grand  Jury  of  Onondaga  County. 
He  appears  to  be  a  civil  man  of  moderate  intellect ;  deter- 
mined, however,  to  be  in  opposition  to  government,  he  is 
now  an  ardent  Federalist.  He  gives  two  hundred  dollars 
rent  for  an  indifferent  house.  Another  innkeeper  gives 
three  hundred  for  a  house  not  much  superior ;  and  this 
little  place  contains  already  three  taverns. 

July  \lth.  Oswego  is  a  place  celebrated  in  our  colonial 
history  as  one  of  the  great  depots  of  the  fur  trade.  It 
was  strenuously  contended  for  by  the  French  and  Eng- 
lish, in  their  American  wars.  During  the  Revolutionary 
contest  it  was  occupied  by  the  British,  who  held  it  in  de- 
fiance of  the  treaty  of  peace,  until  it  was  delivered  up 
under  Jay's  treaty.  As  an  important  post,  commanding 
the  communication  between  the  lakes  and  the  waters  that 
communicate  with  the  Hudson,  it  must  ever  claim  the 
attention  of  Government. 

It  is  situated  on  the  south  side  of  the  Oswego  River, 
near  its  entrace  into  Lake  Ontario,  in  latitude  43°  27'  52", 
as  ascertained  by  the  Surveyor-General,  in  1797,  with 
great  exactness,  when  he  laid  out  a  town  here.  The 
State  reserved  No.  1,  in  the  military  township  of  Hanni- 
bal, as  public  property.  The  streets  are  laid  out  one  hun- 
dred feet  wide,  and  their  course  is  determined  astronomi- 
cally, north-west  and  south-east,  22«  12',  and  northeast  and 
southwest,  67°  48'.  Those  running  parallel  with  the  river 
are  denominated  First,  Second,  Third,  &c.,  and  the  streets 
intersecting  them  are  called  after  the  signs  of  the  Zodiac. 
The  blocks  are  396  feet  long,  and  200  feet  wide.  It  is 
contemplated  by  the  plan,  to  have  a  fish-market,  and  a 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  77 

common  market  on  the  river.  Ground  is  reserved  for  a 
public  squai'e  of  fourteen  acres,  for  an  Academy,  a  Prison, 
Court-house,  and  Cemetery. 

The  houses  are  not  built  on  this  plan,  and  are  huddled 
together  in  a  confused  manner.  There  are  at  present 
fourteen  houses,  s)x  log-houses,  six  warehouses,  and  five 
stores,  and  five  wharves,  covered  with  barrels  of  salt,  at 
which  were  four  square-rigged  vessels.  A  Post-oflice, 
Custom-house,  three  physicians ;  no  Church,  or  lawyer. 

The  salt  trade  seems  to  be  the  chief  business  of  this 
place.  There  was  a  brig  on  the  stocks.  There  belono- 
here  eleven  vessels,  from  eighty-two  to  fifteen  tons,  the 
whole  tonnage  amounting  to  413.  To  Genesee  River,  one 
of  twenty-two  tons  ;  to  Niagara,  two — one  of  fifty,  and  one 
of  eighty-five,  making  135  tons  ;  to  Oswegatchie,  two,  of 
fifty  tons  each ;  to  Kingston,  in  Upper  Canada,  eight,  from 
ninety  to  twenty-eight  tons ;  and  to  York,  two,  of  forty 
tons  each,  all  engaged  in  the  Lake  trade. 

In  1807,  17,078  barrels  of  salt  were  shipped  from  this 
place.  In  1808,  upwards  of  19,000,  and  3,000  were  not 
carried  away  for  want  of  vessels.  In  1809,  28,840  bar- 
rels were  sent  directly  to  Canada,  and  this  year  it  will 
exceed  30,000.  Salt  now  sells  at  Kingston,  at  $4  50  per 
barrel,  and  at  Pittsburgh  at  from  $8  50  to  $9. 

A  barrel  of  salt  at  Oswego  costs  $2  50  in  cash ;  and 
at  Salina  $2,  probably  $1  50.  By  a  law  of  the  State 
salt  cannot  be  sold  by  the  State  lessees  for  more  than  62 
cents  per  bushel. 

The  conveyance  of  a  barrel  of  salt  from  Salina  to  the 
Upper  Falls  of  Oswego  is,  in  time  of  good  water,  two  shil- 
lings— in  low  water,  three  shillings.  The  same  price  is 
asked  from  the  Lower  Falls  to  Oswego. 


78  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

The  distance  from  Oswego  to  Niagara  is  160  miles. 
It  takes  a  fortnight  to  go  up  and  return.  The  vessels 
carry  from  170  to  440  casks,  and  the  conveyance  of  a 
cask  costs  fifty  cents.  The  lake  can  be  navigated  six  and 
a  half  months  in  the  year.  The  wages  of  a  common  sai- 
lor are  $20  per  month.  If  the  inland  navigation  was 
perfected,  salt  could  be  conveyed  to  Albany  for  three 
shillings  per  bushel.  Two-thirds  of  the  salt  that  is  ex- 
ported from  Oswego,  is  consumed  on  the  Ohio. 

Two  men  of  the  name  of  Alvord,  in  partnership,  manu- 
facture 4,000  barrels  of  salt  at  Salina,  annually,  which 
have  been  sold  at  Pittsburgh  for  $10  per  barrel,  until  re- 
cently. The  Collector  says  that  the  value  of  property  ex- 
ported from  Oswego  in  1808,  amounted  to  near  $536,000. 
In  the  time  of  the  embargo,  the  value  of  property  carried 
out  of  a  district  was  known.  None  of  this  went  directly  to 
Canada.  In  1807,  it  was  $167,000  more.  Upper  Canada 
is  supplied  with  teas  and  East  India  goods  through  this 
place.  The  press  of  business  is  in  spring  and  fall.  In 
winter  this  is  a  place  of  no  business,  and  all  the  stores 
are  shut  up.  Now  two  of  their  merchants  intend  to 
carry  on  trade  in  the  winter.  There  is  no  fur  trade. 
The  value  of  the  carrying  trade  from  Oswego  Falls  here, 
last  year,  amounted  to  $40,000. 

Sturgeon  have  been  caught  in  the  lake  that  weigh  100 
pounds.  The  Muscalunga,  a  very  fine  fish  of  the  pick- 
erel kind,  is  sometimes  got  of  45  pounds  weight.  The 
white  fish,  a  very  delicious  fish,  is  also  had  here  in  the 
fall.  Salmon  have  been  caught  at  Van  Valkenburgh's,  in 
the  open  part  of  the  river,  in  every  month  of  the  year. 
They  sometimes  weigh  37  pounds.  The  boats  frighten 
them  away,  and  as  they  are  very  shy,  they  are  not  so  nu- 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  79 

merous  as  formerly.  In  the  spring  of  the  year  they  are 
in  the  best  order.  Big  Salmon  Creek  is  their  favorite 
haunt.  There  are  tw^o  kinds  of  bass  in  the  river — black, 
or  Oswego  bass,  and  rock  bass.  They  differ  in  shape. 
The  salmon  pass  Oswego  in  April,  in  great  numbers,  and 
are  caught  at  that  time.  In  September  and  October,  when 
they  return  to  the  lake,  they  are  again  caught ;  but  at  this 
season  none  are  to  be  procured. 

In  Oswego  and  Seneca  Rivers,  and  I  think  in  Oneida 
River,  considerable  circular  collections  or  piles  of  gravel 
are  to  be  found,  in  the  water  near  the  shore,  and  some- 
times on  the  mai'gin  of  the  water.  Many  are  to  be  seen 
at  very  short  distances,  and  they  are  evidently  the  work 
of  some  animal,  exhibiting  uniformity  and  design.  As 
they  appear  the  latter  end  of  June,  or  beginning  of 
July,  when  there  are  no  freshets,  and  when  the  salmon 
and  bass  ascend,  it  is  supposed  they  are  erected  by  fish. 
By  some  they  are  called  bass-heaps,  and  by  others  they 
are  imputed  to  lamprey  eels. 

The  river  at  Oswego  is  twelve  chains  wide.  All  the 
lake  rivers  have  bars  at  their  mouths.  The  bar  in  this 
river  is  eight  and  a  half  feet  deep,  the  channel  is  about 
two  rods  wide,  and  the  mouth  of  the  bar  is  about  150  feet. 
Whei'e  the  river  enters  the  lake  its  course  is  to  be  traced 
by  the  blackness  of  its  waters.  The  lake  water  is  green, 
transparent,  and  fit  to  drink. 

In  walking  on  the  banks  of  the  lake,  we  should  have 
thought  ourselves  on  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic,  were  we 
not  stepping  on  immense  piles  of  granite  and  schistic,  which 
defend  the  land  against  the  inroads  of  the  water.  The 
eye  is  lost  in  the  immensity  of  the  waters.  Ontario  is  as 
large  as  the  Caspian.     It  never  freezes  throughout.     Its 


80  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

length  varies  from  120  to  180  miles,  and  its  breadth  is 
about  60.  It  has  been  observed  that  the  lake  diminishes ; 
and  this  is  attributed  by  some  to  the  removal  of  the  ob- 
structions, bars  and  rocks,  at  the  outlet.  We  saw  a  brig 
from  Kingston  enter  the  port  with  a  fine  north-easterly 
wind.  Here  is  a  brig  of  the  United  States,  mounting  16 
guns,  and  one  thirty-two  pounder,  which  was  driven  on 
the  beach  last  winter  by  the  ice.  As  soon  as  the  British 
heard  of  the  building  of  this  vessel  they  immediately 
built  a  thirty  gun  brig,  in  order  to  have  a  superiority  on 
the  lake. 

On  the  south-west  side  of  the  river,  and  on  the  banks 
of  the  lake,  are  the  ruins  of  an  old  French  fort,  with 
ditches  and  bastions,  and  stone  buildings  in  ruin,  which 
were  probably  magazines.  The  side  bounded  by  the  lake 
is  level,  and  not  ditched,  so  that  unless  it  was  defended 
here  by  wooden  erections,  it  was  only  intended  to  protect 
against  attacks  from  the  land.  This  fort  has  covered  four 
or  five  acres.  There  is  a  burying-ground  near,  and  a  few 
head-stones.  The  only  one  inscribed  has  the  following  : — 
"Roger  Cor  Bert,  1742." 

Quere. — May  not  there  have  been  an  ancient  Indian 
fort,  adjacent  to  the  French  fort?  Appearances  may 
warrant  this  surmise. 

The  French  had  another  fort  to  the  south  of  this  some 
distance,  and  not  far  from  the  lake. 

In  the  village,  commencing  at  Parson's  tavern,  the  seat 
of  the  contemplated  Fish  Market,  and  extending  between 
three  and  four  hundred  yards  up  on  the  river,  are  to  be  ob- 
served the  remains  of  old  Dutch  trading  houses.  The 
stone  foundations  yet  remain  even  with  the  ground.  The 
doors  opened  inside,  and  there  was  another  tier  of  houses 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  81 

in  the  rear,  forming  an  oblong  square.  The  whole  was 
intended  as  a  safe  depository  for  goods,  and  to  keep  off 
the  Indians. 

Fort  Oswego  is  on  the  north  side  of  the  lake.  Its  lati- 
tude, as  astronomically  determined,  is  43*^  28'  5".  It  was 
erected  by  the  English,  and  abandoned  as  a  garrison  by 
the  government,  about  ten  years  ago,  and  is  now  little 
better  than  a  heap  of  ruins.  The  State  have  reserved  a 
mile  square,  including  the  fort,  for  such  works  of  defence 
as  may  be  necessary.  It  is  a  regular  fort,  and  has  been 
strong.  It  had  bastions,  ditch,  palisadoes,  and  bomb-proof 
castle.  It  covered,  with  all  its  appendages,  about  ten 
acres,  and  the  interior  contained  three.  The  barracks 
are  pulled  down  or  burnt.  The  stone  with  which  this 
work  was  erected  was  taken  from  the  French  forts  and 
Dutch  houses  at  Oswego,  where  the  Dutch  had  erected 
stone  houses  for  trading,  and  from  whence  they  were  ex- 
pelled by  the  French.  On  one  of  the  stones  in  the  dry 
mason  work  of  the  fort,  is  "  1711,"  supposed  to  be  taken 
from  a  Dutch  house.  Another  stone,  cut  in  two,  from  the 
half  letters  it  probably  had  "  1727."  On  another  is  in- 
scribed "St.  Hyde— Clarke,  Serjeant  3d  Regt.,  1742." 
On  another,  "  Robert  Hutton,  1742 ;"  on  another,  "  1741 ;" 
on  another,  "  A.  L.  1742  ;"  another,  "1749."  There  are 
two  stones  reversed :  on  one  is  inscribed,  "  Rosiol  Thomas, 
the  black  Dane,  1742  ;"  and  on  the  other,  "  A.  H.  Philips^ 
1761."  These  inscriptions  being  reversed,  show  that 
they  were  cut  before  the  stones  were  put  in  the  walls. 

Near  the  fort,  a  large  stone  was  dug,  two  feet  under 
ground,  marked  "  Nicholas  Schuyler,  Esq.,  21  August," 
the  year  effaced.     This  the  collector,  Joel  Burt,  Esq., 
has  on  the  outside  of  his  chimney  back. 
6 


83  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

When  the  Indians  are  interred,  their  guns,  kettles,  and 
wampum  are  buried  with  them.  An  Indian  grave  was 
dug  up  on  the  banks  of  the  lake  a  few  days  ago;  the 
bones  were  in  a  high  state  of  preservation.  His  wampum 
and  kettle  were  found  with  him,  but  no  gun.  This  inter- 
ment must  have  taken  place  seventy  years  ago. 

Grind-stones  are  procured  here,  and  answer  very  well, 
called  Oswego  grind-stones.  I  found  a  curious  pumice 
stone  on  the  lake  shore,  like  a  wasp's  nest,  and  as  if  perfo- 
rated by  that  insect. 

The  first  house  erected  here  since  the  evacuation  by 
the  British,  was  built  by  Mr.  Joe  I  Burt,  of  Orange  county, 
who  has  been  settled  here  seven  years.  He  has  six  sons 
here,  with  families,  and  none  have  experienced  any  con- 
siderable sickness.  He  had  not  a  single  neighbor.  He 
had  to  go  forty  miles  to  mill,  and  100  for  other  provisions. 
He  has  considerable  land  in  this  country,  and  intends  to 
augment  by  purchasing  No.  6  in  Hannibal,  which  runs 
back  of  the  village,  and  which  he  believes  can  be  pro- 
cured for  six  dollars  per  acre,  from  one  Cunningham,  in 
Orange.  One  of  his  sons  is  Collector  and  Post-master. 
We  saw  in  the  post  office,  several  County  Columbians, 
and  the  Guardian,  of  Upper  Canada,  printed  at  Niagara, 
by  one  Woolwich. 

The  embargo  enriched  the  frontier  settlements,  and  the 
impediments  to  a  free  intercourse  with  Canada  became 
very  unpopular.  In  this  place  there  was  a  combination 
to  resist  the  execution  of  the  embargo  laws.  The  Col- 
lector was  menaced,  and  his  life  jeopardized ;  and  he  is 
now  harassed  with  suits  for  refusing  clearances  for  ves- 
sels to  go  to  Sackett's  Harbor,  with  potash,  &c. 

The  owner  of  a  wharf,  of  the  name  of  Wentworth,  an- 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  ^ 

nounces  to  the  public  that  he  shall  charge  no  wharfage 
for  vessels  that  load  at  his  wharf,  but  that  others  coming 
to  it  must  pay — the  one  nearest  the  wharf  fifty  cents  per 
day ;  the  one  next,  twenty-five ;  the  third,  twelve  and 
one-half,  and  the  fourth,  six  and  one-fourth.  One  hour  to 
be  considered  a  day. 

At  this  place  we  saw  a  Yankee,  whom  we  had  before 
seen  at  Three-River  Point,  exploring  the  country  for  land. 
He  journeyed  on  foot,  appeared  to  be  acute,  and  was  not 
a  little  forward.  He  expressed  an  anxiety  to  travel  with 
us,  and  said  he  had  bargained  for  No.  6  Camillus,  at 
three  dollars  per  acre.  He  was  particularly  anxious  about 
the  title.  His  whole  behavior  was  characteristic,  and 
he  no  doubt  intended  to  squat  on  the  first  choice  land  he 
could  select,  belonging  to  the  State.  As  a  contrast  to  the 
Yankee,  we  saw  a  Frenchman,  his  wife,  and  children,  and 
another  Frenchman  on  his  voyage  from  Niagara  to  Mon- 
treal, in  a  small  boat,  twice  the  size  of  a  common  canoe. 
He  was  a  mason  and  cooper,  and  on  the  look  out  for 
better  times.  He  had  been  three  and  a  half  days  on  his 
way  here.  His  blankets  were  sails  ;  two  of  his  three  boys 
rowed ;  he  coasted  along  the  lake.  He  had  four  chairs,  a 
kettle,  pans,  &c.,  three  or  four  barrels,  two  dogs,  a  fishing 
spear,  and  iron  frame  for  pine  lights,  a  crab  net,  fishing 
lines  and  gun.  With  these  accommodations  he  provided 
for  his  large  family — the  whole  exhibiting  poverty,  filth,  and 
happiness.  With  his  blankets  and  sails,  he  had,  in  conse- 
quence of  high  winds,  encamped  here  for  a  day  or  two. 

At  Parson's  house  there  was  a  girl  making  straw  hats. 
She  could  make  one  worth  six  dollars  in  nine  days.  In 
various  places  people  make  their  own  hats  of  coarse 
straw. 


84  DE    WITT    CLINTON, 

We  were  informed  here  that  five  hundred  American 
wood-cutters  had  gone  over  to  Canada  to  cut  wood,  and 
that  after  they  had  completed  their  operations,  their  tim- 
ber and  staves  were  seized  by  two  persons  to  whom  the 
King's  right  had  been  sold  by  the  Government.  A  re- 
servation of  all  pines  for  the  use  of  the  King  is  contained 
in  his  patents  or  grants.  The  general  opinion  was  that 
the  King  was  entitled  to  none,  except  such  as  were  marked 
"  G.  R."  by  his  surveyor. 

Mr.  Kibbie,  a  salt  merchant,  informed  us  that  salt 
works  were  erected  on  the  Great  Kenhaway,  seventy 
miles  from  Pittsburgh,  which  would  undersell  us  at  that 
place,  for  seven  dollars  per  barrel.  On  subsequent  in- 
quiry, we  had  reason  to  suppose  that  this  was  a  false  alarm, 
raised  for  speculating  purposes  ;  that  the  Kenhaway  navi- 
gation is  almost  impracticable ;  and  that  the  water  is  of  a 
very  inferior  quality,  and  the  salt  works,  if  any,  on  a  very 
limited  scale. 

The  Surveyor-General  injured  one  of  the  bones  of  his 
arm  in  a  fall ;  and  this  very  unpleasant  accident,  which  we 
were  fearful  would  deprive  us  of  the  benefit  and  pleasure 
of  his  company,  at  first  threw  us  into  a  gloom.  But  in  the 
course  of  the  day  he  was  greatly  relieved  by  medical  aid, 
particularly  by  the  application  of  opodeldoc.  Our  Sur- 
veyor is  fond  of  poetry  and  botany,  and  in  other  respects 
a  man  well-informed,  considering  his  opportunities ;  of 
considerable  sagacity,  well-behaved,  and  a  very  clever 
fellow.  The  commodore's  son  was  unfortunately  deaf 
from  his  infancy.  He  has  read  a  great  deal ;  his  memory 
is  tenacious,  his  mind  not  discriminating,  and  his  temper 
bad.  There  is  no  other  way  of  communicating  with  him 
but  by  signs  or  writing. 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  86 

July  I8th.  We  left  Oswego  in  the  morning,  and  in 
order  to  facilitate  the  passage  of  the  boat  over  the  worst 
rapids,  we  walked  on  the  south  side  of  the  river  five  miles, 
to  Pease's  Tavern,  where  we  took  a  collation.  During 
the  walk,  Mr.  Geddes  showed  us  the  place  of  the  canal 
and  locks,  as  proposed  by  him.  We  dined,  and  put  up 
for  the  night  at  Van  Valkenburgh's  Tavern.  About  four 
miles  from  this  tavern  north,  there  is  a  new  beaver  dam, 
inhabited  by  beavers.  I  regret  that  we  had  not  heard  of 
this  in  time,  as  I  should  have  undoubtedly  visited  this  sin- 
gular building.  There  is  also  an  excellent  trout  stream 
near  this  house. 

This  must  have  been  the  night  of  the  great  frost,  which 
destroyed  so  much  corn  in  the  western  country.  We 
rose  at  three  o'clock,  and  found  it  cold,  although  we 
walked  three  miles  to  the  Upper  Falls.  The  Commodore 
had  a  quarrel  with  the  landlord,  who  wanted  to  extort 
four  shitlings  too  much  for  carrying  our  baggage  to  the 
Upper  Falls.  The  landlord  was  appointed  a  Justice  last 
winter,  and  says  he  does  not  thank  the  Council  for  it ;  be- 
cause he  says  he  is  a  Republican.  He  pertinaciously  in- 
sisted on  his  charge,  and  said,  "  What  odds  does  it  make 
to  you — the  State  pays  for  it !" 

We  embarked,  after  this  important  dispute  was  accom- 
modated, in  our  own  boats,  at  five  o'clock,  and  breakfasted 
after  going  two  miles,  at  the  widow  Van  Waggoner's,  on 
the  north  side.  On  the  south  side,  and  half-a-mile  from 
the  Upper  Falls,  there  is  a  fine  lake  for  fishing,  two  miles 
long  and  one  broad,  called  Fish  Lake. 

During  our  absence  there  was  a  ball  at  the  Upper  Falls, 
and  one  of  the  boatmen  broke  it  up  by  cutting  off  a  dog's 
tail,  and  letting  the  animal  loose  among  the  young  women, 


dd 


DE    WITT    CLINTON. 


whose  clothes  it  besmeared  with  blood.  This  exhibits  a 
picture  of  barbarous  manners  that  would  hardly  be  prac- 
tised at  Kamschatka. 

When  we  arrived  at  the  foot  of  Three-River  Rift,  we 
got  out  on  the  south  side,  and  walked  to  the  head  of  the 
rapid.  We  passed  in  our  walk  an  Indian  encampment, 
of  four  families.  There  was  a  babe  naked  in  a  blanket ; 
another  fastened  to  a  board  ;  and  an  Indian  boy  of  some 
size  destitute  of  clothes.  Between  two  divisions  of  the 
dwelling,  and  in  the  center,  there  was  a  fire  to  accommo- 
date each  department,  if  it  may  be  so  called.  Venison  and 
fish  of  different  kinds  were  hung  for  drying  or  roasting. 
Indian  girls  were  making  wampum,  and  the  men  actively 
employed  on  the  river  spearing  fish. 

We  arrived  at  Three-River  Point  at  three  o'clock,  and 
found  all  the  family  sober.  Most  of  them  were  sick  with 
the  dysentery,  although  the  house  was  comparatively  clean 
and  decent.  The  Captain  says  that  he  has  seen  Ann,  the 
girl  of  the  house,  drink  three  glasses  of  whisky,  succes- 
sively, although  the  commodore  was  so  much  pleased 
with  her  that  he  gave  her  a  dollar.  We  had  a  hearty 
laugh  at  our  Federal  friends,  when  we  understood  that 
Magie  is  a  violent  Federalist,  and  probably  will  soon  esta- 
blish a  Washington  Benevolent  Society. 

The  commodore  insisted  upon  chowder  for  dinner. 
This  detention,  and  the  consequent  dilution  of  port,  in  a 
very  hot  afternoon,  detained  us  till  five  o'clock,  and  ex- 
posed us  to  great  danger  in  traversing  the  waters  of  the 
Seneca  at  night. 

There  is  a  rapid  near  the  confluence,  called  Ganseris 
Rift ;  beyond  this  the  river  is  deep  and  black,  apparently 
without  a  current  until  you  arrive  at  Jack's  Rift.     The 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  87 

banks  are  low  and  covered  with  wood.  This  river  is 
nearly  as  wide  as  the  Mohawk.  On  the  approach  of 
night  it  has  a  very  unpleasant  smell,  and  fever  seems  to 
hover  over  you.  It  looks  like  the  Valley  of  the  Shadow 
of  Death,  to  borrow  an  idea  from  Gen.  North.  There  is 
no  house  until  you  progress  seven  miles,  to  the  cold  spring 
on  the  right  bank,  where  there  is  a  log  dwelling,  and  a 
cooper's  shop  for  supplying  Salina  with  salt  barrels.  A 
mile  farther,  the  outlet  of  the  Onondaga  Lake  falls  into 
the  river,  on  the  left  side.  It  is  said  there  are  muscles 
here  as  large  as  clams. 

At  eleven  o'clock  at  night  we  arrived  at  Dr.  Jonas  C. 
Baldwin's,  who  has  erected  a  dam  across  the  river,  cut  a 
canal  round  the  rift,  and  made  two  locks  at  this  place.  It 
is  distant  twelve  miles  from  Three-River  Point  by  water, 
and  four  by  land.  We  were  detained  for  a  considerable 
time,  before  we  could  find  our  way  into  the  mouth  of  the 
canal.  The  Doctor  has  laid  out  his  village  on  Lot  85 
Lysander,  and  called  it  Columbia.  It  is  distant  thirteen 
miles  from  Onondaga  Court-house.  There  is  a  grist-mill 
and  a  saw-mill  at  this  place. 

Geddes  had  left  us  in  the  course  of  the  day,  and  had 
walked  home  across  the  country.  In  his  way  he  stopped 
here,  and  gave  the  Doctor  notice  of  our  approach,  and 
luckily  found  his  wife  there  on  a  visit.  The  family  had 
sat  up  for  us,  but  being  tired  out,  had  gone  to  bed,  except 
a  daughter,  who  had  gone  to  a  neighboring  house  which 
exhibited  lights.  We  knocked  the  Doctor  up,  but  the 
Commodore  and  one  of  the  young  gentlemen  had  gone  to 
the  house  which  was  lighted,  and  being  apprised  of  their 
mistake,  returned  over  the  bridge  conducted  by  Miss 
Baldwin  and  her  friend,  and  as  the  night  was  dark,  they 


88  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

were  accompanied  by  lights.  Their  appearance  at  a  dis- 
tance was  hke  that  of  mortals  who  had  gone  astray,  re- 
turning into  the  right  road  guided  by  genii.  Our  recep- 
tion here  was  very  friendly.  The  hands  of  the  Morris 
had  refused  to  proceed  from  the  cold  spring,  until  Capt, 
Clark  agreed  to  give  them  an  extraordinary  compensation. 
It  appears  that  we  had  mollified  ours,  by  giving  them  four 
dollars  as  footings,  being  a  collection  made  by  those  who 
had  never  before  passed  the  Oneida  Lake  and  Oswego 
Falls.  On  the  Doctor's  chimney  we  saw  excellent  stone, 
brought  from  the  head  of  Seneca  Lake,  which  is  deemed 
so  handsome  and  valuable  for  chimney-pieces  that  a  long 
piece  has  sold  here  for  two  dollars. 

July  20th.  The  day  being  showery,  we  spent  this  day 
and  night  here.  During  an  interval  of  fair  weather,  the 
Surveyor  took  the  level  of  this  part  of  the  rift,  and  found 
the  descent  at  the  locks  eight  and  a-half  feet.  The  width 
of  the  river  at  the  dam  is  about  twenty-three  rods,  and 
below  the  dam  a  toll-bridge  is  nearly  completed  over  the 
river.  The  length  of  the  canal  is  100  rods,  the  width 
twenty  feet,  and  its  depth  six  feet.  There  are  two  locks ; 
the  left  one  is  six  and  a-half  feet ;  the  other,  three  and 
a-half  feet.  The  length  of  the  upper  lock  is  eighty  feet, 
and  its  breadth  twelve  and  a-half  The  length  of  the 
lower  lock  is  eighty-five  feet,  and  its  breadth  thirteen. 
The  rapid,  where  the  canal  is  located,  is  called  McNarry's 
Rift,  but  it  composes  part  of  Jack's  Rift.  What  renders 
it  peculiarly  bad  is  the  rocky  bottom,  which  defies  the 
setting-pole.  Jack's  Rift  extends  ten  miles  above  Colum- 
bia, and  is  very  shallow  and  bad  at  the  upper  end.  The 
canal  and  dam  have  been  erected  under  a  law  of  the 
State. 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  89 

In  November,  1809,  there  passed  through  the  canal  65 
vessels;  in  December,  15;  in  April,  1810,51;  in  May, 
1810,  73 ;  in  June,  1810,  59.  Several  vessels  pass  over  the 
dam  in  seasons  when  the  water  is  high.  The  proprietor 
says  that  the  whole  establishment  cost  812,000  or  $13,000. 
The  locks  and  canal  probably  did  not  exceed  $3,000. 

The  saw-mill  in  this  place  is  owned  by  Burr,  the  cele- 
brated bridge  builder,  who  has  a  house  here,  and  is  con- 
cerned in  the  establishment.  It  is  intended  to  have  23 
saws.     The  tolls  received  here  amounted — 

In  April  last,  to  .  .  .  $115  49 

In  May     »         .  .  .  .  167  91 

In  June    "         .  .  .  .  141  40 


Total,  .  .  .  $424  80 

The  Doctor  keeps  a  small  store.  Several  frames  of 
houses  are  rising.  Lots  of  half  an  acre  each  have  been 
sold  from  $50  to  $150.  He  lives  in  two  or  three  log 
houses  connected  together,  with  monstrous  chimneys,  and 
two  beds  in  a  room. 

The  river  was  never  so  low ;  the  apron  of  the  dam 
does  not  appear  to  be  calculated  to  promote  the  passage 
of  fish.  No.  7  Camillus,  is  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river,  and  belongs  to  the  Company.  A  fine  pit  of  potter's 
clay  is  at  this  place.  We  saw  a  plant  called  Indian  straw- 
berries, headed  like  the  strawberry,  and  not  good  to  eat. 
It  looks  like  the  flower  called  Prince's  Feather. 

The  blackness  of  the  Oneida  lake,  and  the  insalubrious 
quality  of  its  waters,  are  owing  to  its  being  fed  by  streams 
originating  in  swamps.  The  other  lakes,  which  are  pure 
and  transparent,  are  supplied  by  rivers  which  rise  on  hills. 


90  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

Dr.  Baldwin  is  of  opinion  tiial  the  blossom  of  the  Oneida 
lake  arises  from  wood. 

July  2\st. — Breakfasted  at  Columbia  this  day,  and  de- 
parted at  seven  o'clock.  The  family  would  receive  no  com- 
pensation, and  behaved  with  great  hospitality.  The  Doc- 
tor sent  on  board  of  our  boat  a  saddle  of  fine  lamb.  Col. 
Porter  left  as  a  present  with  the  young  lady  the  "  Domini- 
can," a  novel  in  two  volumes,  and  the  Commodore  slipped 
into  the  hand  of  a  little  girl  a  bank  bill.  While  here  we 
amused  ourselves  in  having  a  cockade  made,  and  put  in 
the  commodore's  hat,  but  as  soon  as  he  discovered  it  he 
pulled  it  out  as  a  forbidden  badge.  The  hands  on  board 
of  the  Morris  evinced  a  mutinous  spirit  yesterday,  and 
threatened  to  leave  us,  complaining  that  they  were  pushed 
too  hard.  On  being  treated  with  proper  spirit,  they  took 
wisdom  for  their  counsellor,  and  behaved  well  to-day. 

The  river  maintained  the  same  gloomy,  dark  appear- 
ance, with  low  sunken  sides,  as  we  progressed.  The  peo- 
ple were  now  taking  in  their  wheat  harvest,  which  was 
abundant.  We  saw  a  beautiful  flower  called  an  Indian 
Pink.  We  passed  No.  8  Camillus,  on  the  south  side,  be- 
longing to  me,  about  seven  miles  from  Columbia.  It  cor- 
ners just  below  a  bridge  intended  to  be  built,  and  a  ferry. 
Its  situation  on  the  river  is  low,  and  is  what  is  called  a 
narrow  lot :  that  is,  the  narrowest  part  is  on  the  river. 
Land  on  the  opposite  side,  has  sold  for  $5  an  acre. 

We  stopped  in  No.  35  Camillus,  where  there  is  a  settle- 
ment made  by  one  Simpson,  and  an  Indian  orchard  of  40 
old  apple  trees.  On  the  right  side,  for  a  great  distance, 
there  are  extensive  groves  of  pine  trees.  We  met  a  Dr. 
Adams  crossing  the  river  in  a  canoe,  with  his  saddle-bags 
under  his  arm,  and  clothed  in  a  dark  home-spun  gown,  to 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL. 


^ 


visit  a  patient.  He  describes  the  country  as  healthy,  al- 
though he  states  that  Baldwin's  dam  has  raised  the  river 
six  inches,  at  the  distance  above  of  eight  miles.  Mr. 
Geddes  says  that  he  saw  a  trout  killed  which  had  in  its 
belly  two  field  mice  and  a  ground  squirrel.  Black  is  the 
color  of  squirrels  in  the  western  country ;  you  see  few 
gray  ones. 

We  dined  in  the  woods,  ten  miles  from  Columbia,  on  the 
north  side,  and  at  the  head  of  Cross  Lake.  Visiting  an  adja- 
cent house,  and  seeing  three  lusty  women  at  the  wash-tub, 
none  of  whom  was  older  than  forty,  we  thought  we  would 
involve  the  commodore  in  a  scrape,  through  the  medium  of 
his  curiosity,  and  told  him  there  was  a  woman  at  the  house 
100  years  old,  with  gray  eyebrows,  and  that  her  faculties 
were  remarkably  good.  He  immediately  left  the  boat  in 
a  great  hurry,  and  paced  with  uncommon  rapidity  through 
a  hot  sun,  to  the  house,  and  inquired  with  great  earnest- 
ness for  a  sight  of  the  old  woman.  Instead  of  meeting 
the  fate  of  Orpheus,  he  was  received  with  laughter,  and 
returned  completely  hoaxed. 

Cross  Lake  is  five  miles  long,  and  one  broad ;  in  some 
places  it  is  very  deep,  and  in  others  contains  large  reeds 
and  high  grass.  It  abounds  with  ducks,  and  is  formed  by 
the  passing  of  the  Seneca  river  through  a  large  swamp. 
We  quartered  at  Wordworth's,  a  small  log  house,  fourteen 
miles  from  Columbia,  on  the  right  side  of  the  river,  which 
is  here  twenty-four  rods  wide  from  Cross  Lake,  and  near 
fifty  feet  deep.  The  insalubrious  appearance  of  the  coun- 
try, and  the  heavy  fogs  on  the  river,  added  to  the  sickness 
of  Captain  Clark  of  the  Morris,  frightened  me  from  taking 
a  matrass  with  Col.  Porter  in  his  tent,  although  I  knew 
that  sleep  could  not  be  expected  in  the  house.     This  place 


92  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

is  in  the  town  of  Cato,  and  in  the  military  township  of 
Brutus.  There  is  scarcely  any  population  on  the  river, 
owing  to  its  unhealthiness.  The  settlements  are  back. 
Woodworth  gave  for  his  land  four  dollars  an  acre,  four 
years  ago,  and  his  family  have  been  afflicted  with  fever 
every  year  but  the  present.  Three  of  us  spread  our  ma- 
trasses on  the  floor ;  three  slept  in  two  beds  in  a  little 
room,  and  three  in  the  tent.  In  the  common  sitting  room 
there  were,  besides,  the  family  bed  and  a  trunnel-bed  for 
the  children.  We  were  not  deceived  in  our  expectations 
with  regard  to  sleep.  The  crying  of  children,  the  hard- 
ness of  the  boards,  the  chirping  of  crickets,  the  flying 
of  bats,  clouds  of  musquitoes,  and  a  number  of  other  nui- 
sances, effectually  prevented  repose.  We  rose  at  four, 
and  found  that  our  medicinal  prescriptions  had  rendered 
Capt.  Clark  much  better. 

July  22d. — The  river  being  clouded  with  a  thick,  heavy 
fog,  we  thought  it  prudent  to  take  breakfast  before  we 
moved. 

Between  Woodworth's  and  Musquito  Point,  there  are 
three  shallows,  principally  with  rocky  bottoms.  One  at 
the  mouth  of  Skeneatelas  outlet,  two  miles  from  Wood- 
worth's,  one  at  Hickory  island,  five  miles,  and  the  other  at 
Musquito  Point,  on  the  right  side  of  the  river.  These 
shallows  vary  in  depth  from  four  to  six  feet.  The  mouth 
of  Owasco  outlet  is  nearly  opposite  JMusquito  Point.  The 
Canada  thistle  is  at  Woodworth's  ;  it  is  not  so  tall  as  the 
common  thistle,  and  is  spread  over  the  country.  There 
are  several  ferries  on  the  river,  and  the  farmers  were 
busily  engaged  in  their  harvest. 

The  wind  became  favorable  part  of  the  way,  and  we 
arrived  at  Musquito  Point,  eight  miles,  at  eleven  o'clock 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  93 

William  Lyon  keeps  the  tavern,  v^^hich  has  a  masonic 
sign,  and  appears  to  be  a  decent  house.  It  is  on  thirty- 
seven  Brutus,  and  two  years  ago  he  bought  it  of  an  uncle 
for  seven  dollars  an  acre.  He  thinks  that  Baldwin's  dam 
has  injured  the  salmon  fishery.  There  is  a  good  road  from 
here  to  Oswego ;  the  distance  is  thirty  miles. 

After  leaving  Musquito  Point  we  encountered  a  baffling 
wind,  and  were  compelled  to  drop  our  sails.  We  saw  on 
the  river  the  white  and  yellow  lily  in  great  beauty,  to- 
gether with  the  cat-tail  and  the  wild  eglantine  on  the 
bank.  I  had  a  sight  of  another  red  bird  ;  the  first,  I  saw 
on  Wood  Creek.  There  were  also  cranes  and  fish-hawks, 
but  no  bitterns. 

About  three-quarters  of  a  mile  from  Musquito  Point, 
there  is  a  large  island  of  2,000  acres,  on  which  are  some 
military  lots,  in  the  township  of  Brutus.  On  a  north-west 
bay,  to  the  north  of  the  island,  and  four  miles  from  Mus- 
quito Point,  are  the  Galen  Salt  Works,  a  Company  incor- 
porated at  the  last  session  of  the  Legislature.  There  is  a 
salt-spring  on  Hickory  Island,  before-mentioned;  and  there 
are  others  on  the  north  side,  a  mile  and  a  half  below  the 
mouth  of  Skeneatelas  outlet,  owned  by  S.  N.  Bayard,  but 
whether  worked  or  not,  I  am  uninformed. 

A  squall  took  us  in  the  bay,  and  we  halted  at  Bluff  Point, 
nearly  opposite  the  Galen  Salt  Works,  where  there  is  a 
great  turn  in  the  river.  Here  is  an  old  clearing,  and  the 
grass  has  been  recently  cut.  The  site  is  an  elegant  one 
for  a  house.  Here  we  met  a  bare-headed  man,  shooting 
ducks  for  some  sick  people  in  Galen  ;  he  said  that  he  had 
seen  deer  within  an  hour. 

The  Cayuga  marshes  commence  at  Bluff  Point  and 
extend  to  the  Cayuga  Lake,  so  as  evidently  to  have  formed 


94  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

but  one  lake.     In  coming  up  to  Seneca  River,  we  saw,  ten 
or  twelve  miles  below,  small  pieces  of  the  marshes,  which 
had  been  carried  down  by  a  violent  freshet  some  time  be- 
fore.    The  marshes  are  principally  composed  of  grass, 
and  they  look  like  the  salt-marshes  on  the  seacoast,  being 
overgrown  with  high  grass,  sometimes  eight  or  ten  feet 
high,  in  which  were  many  wild  ducks.     The  distance  from 
Bluff  Point  (where  high  lands  on  each  side  of  the  river 
approach,  and  which  may  be  considered  as  the  eastern  ex- 
tremity of  the  original  lake),  to  Montezuma,  is  four  miles. 
The  lake  here  has  been  filled  up,  and  the  marshes  formed 
by   depositions  of  mud,  carried   down   the  Seneca   and 
Canandaigua  Rivers.     The  bottom  is  muddy  throughout, 
and  the  soundings  averaged  four  feet.     Mud  Creek,  which 
forms  a  junction  with  Canandaigua  outlet,  at  Lyon's,  comes 
into  the  Seneca  a  little  below  Montezuma,  on  the  right 
side.     When  about  a  mile  from  Montezuma,  a  violent 
squall  arose,  and  we  had  great  difficulty  in  balancing  the 
boat.     We  arrived  at  Montezuma  at  three  o'clock,  and 
put  up  at  I.  H.  Terry's,  physician   and   tavern-keeper, 
where  we  dined  and  lodged. 

Montezuma  is  in  No.  80  Brutus,  in  the  town  of  Mentz, 
and  is  situated  on  a  strip  of  land  between  the  river  and 
Cayuga  marshes  and  marsh  in  the  rear,  and  cannot  there- 
fore be  healthy.  It  contains  a  few  houses,  which  have 
sprung  up  in  a  short  time.  The  hill  furnishes  a  beautiful 
prospect  of  the  marshes,  and  the  Seneca  and  Canandaigua 
Rivers  winding  through  them.  A  few  scattering  trees  of 
willow  and  elm  are  to  be  seen.  The  whole  was  clearly  a 
lake,  choked  up  by  alluvions.  The  channel  of  the  river  is 
said  to  be  in  the  tract  of  the  greenest  grass.  Dr.  Clark, 
one  of  the  present  proprietors,  formerly  of  New  York,  and 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  95 

John  Swartwout,  the  former  proprietor,  have  handsome 
houses  on  this  hill. 

The  salt  w^orks,  and  whole  establishment,  are  owned  by 
a  company,  of  whom  Mr.  Andrews,  a  very  fat  man, 
formerly  a  tavern-keeper  in  Skeneatelas,  is  the  manager  ; 
and  his  intelligence  and  activity  qualify  him  for  the  trust. 
Gen.  North  and  myself  slept  at  his  house,  and  were  hand- 
somelyf  accommodated. 

It  takes  from  80  to  100  gallons  to  make  a  bushel  of  V. 
Salt  here.  Near  2,000  barrels  have  been  made  since 
November  last.  Salt  sells  for  three  shillings  a  bushel,  and 
twenty  shillings  a  barrel,  at  the  works.  There  are  several 
springs.  The  principal  one  that  supplies  the  establishment 
is  in  the  middle  of  a  fresh  water  creek.  The  salt  water  is 
extricated  from  below  the  waters  of  this  stream. 

The  Indians  had  discovered  a  spring  near  the  marshes, 
by  digging  twelve  or  fourteen  feet,  where  they  made  salt. 
On  the  site  of  this  old  spring  a  well  is  now  digging  for  the 
fossil  salt,  and  has  been  sunk  to  the  depth  102  feet.  The 
lower  they  go  the  Salter  the  water  is  found.  This  manu- 
factory contains  eighteen  kettles  and  twelve  pans  ;  each 
arch  contains  two  kettles,  and  consumes  a  cord  of  wood 
in  twenty-four  hours.  Excellent  basket  salt  is  also  pre- 
pared here. 

There  is  also  a  manufactory  of  red  earthen  ware  ;  four 
or  five  kilns  have  been  burnt.  Two  men  can  burn  one  in 
forty  days.  The  principal  artizan  gets  four  shillings  for 
every  dozen  pieces  he  makes,  which  remunerates  him  for  his 
labor  about  $30  a-month,  he  however  finding  himself  The 
other  hand  is  found,  and  his  wages  are  $10  a-month.  A 
stone  factory  is  also  to  be  established  here. 

On  an  adjoining  lot,  No.  81  Brutus,  there  is  a  large 


/ 


96  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

button-wood  tree,  entirely  hollow,  seventeen  feet  in  diame- 
ter, and  forty  feet  high.  It  is  alive,  is  inhabited  by  swal- 
lows, and  will  contain  twenty-five  men.  Dr.  Mitchell  is 
quoted  for  saying,  on  his  visit  here,  that  this  is  the  largest 
tree  in  the  world.  Some  years  ago  there  was  a  ridiculous 
publication  about  the  size  of  this  tree,  directed,  "  To  all 
who  disbelieved."  This  lot  is  valuable,  and  is  claimed  by 
one  James  Sacket.  It  is  said  to  have  been  drawn  by  a 
foreigner,  who,  having  no  heirs,  it  has  escheated  to  the 
State.  Sacket  is  an  itinerant  hunter  of  claims,  and  boasts 
that  he  has  made  $  1 5,000  by  it.  There  are  several  persons 
in  possession ;  and  on  his  instituting  suits  against  them 
they  have  all  but  one  acknowledged  his  title.  His  object 
is  to  get  the  land  cheap  from  the  State  under  color  of  re- 
muneration for  improvements.  Heard  the  whistling  of 
quails  for  the  first  time  in  the  western  country. 

July  23d.  It  rained  all  night,  and  the  morning  continu- 
ing so,  we  breakfasted  before  we  departed.  We  were 
amused  with  a  quarrel  between  the  landlady  and  the 
Commodore,  about  his  not  giving  a  night's  notice  of  his 
intention  to  breakfast,  as  she  requested  ;  he  had,  indeed, 
sent  word  that  he  would  not.  In  vain  did  he  state  that 
he  could  not  foresee  that  the  morning  would  be  rainy. 
She  was  not  to  be  appeased  with  this  apology,  and  we 
took  care  to  fan  the  flame. 

The  old  bridge,  called  the  Cayuga  Bridge,  was  over  the 
lake,  and  a  mile  long.  Being  carried  away  by  ice,  the 
present  one  is  erected  on  the  outlet,  two  miles  from  the 
former  one.  It  is  six  miles  from  Montezuma  to  the  new 
bridge.  We  had  a  view  of  the  village  of  Cayuga,  on  the 
east  side  of  the  lake,  and  a  settlement  on  the  other  side, 
where  is  Harris'  Ferry. 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  97 

The  Cayuga  Lake  is  a  beautiful  expanse  of  water,  forty 
miles  long,  and  in  some  places,  as  at  Aurora,  three  wide. 
In  passing  the  fresh  marshes,  I  heard  the  noise  of  the 
meadow-hen,  which,  with  the  general  appearance,  re- 
minded me  of  the  salt  meadows  on  the  sea-coast. 

We  penetrated  the  Seneca  River  on  the  north-west 
corner  of  the  lake,  and  found  its  course  north.  It  is  nar- 
row and  deep,  and  not  more  than  four  miles  wide.  It  is 
four  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  river  to  Mynderse's 
Mills ;  one  and  a-half  from  the  new  Cayuga  Bridge  to  the 
entrance  of  the  river,  and  one  and  a-half  miles  from  the 
entrance  to  a  bridge  over  the  river,  on  the  route  to  Myn- 
derse's  Mills.  We  saw  on  the  margin  of  the  river  a  plant 
with  a  beautiful  white  flower,  composed  of  a  single  long 
flower  like  a  grain  of  wheat,  and  several  smaller  ones 
attached  to  it,  its  leaves  being  nearly  triangular.  It  was 
called  here  a  polly-whog.     Quere — if  at  Newtown. 

We  could  not  but  admire  the  benignity  of  Providence, 
when  we  beheld  boneset  {Eupatorium  perfoliatum)  scat- 
tered profusely  over  the  unhealthy,  fever-generating 
country  which  borders  on  this  river.  The  like  we  ob- 
served on  Wood  Creek.  Boneset,  from  its  being  a  power- 
ful sudorific,  is  considered  as  a  sovereign  remedy  for 
agues  and  Fall  fevers,  and  has  been  even  recommended 
for  the  yellow  fever. 

We  arrived  at  Mynderse's  Mills,  which  are  situated  in 
,  Junius,  Seneca  county.  The  grist  mills  are  celebrated  for 
making  the  best  flour  in  the  State,  and  it  sells  for  four 
shillings  more  per  barrel  in  New  York,  than  any  other 
flour.  This  is  principally  owing  to  the  superior  excellence 
of  the  Seneca  wheat.  The  mode  of  manufacturing  flour  is 
also  superior  ;  indeed,  it  would  appear  to  be  impossible  to 
7 


98  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

make  bad  bread  of  it.  Wherever  it  is  used,  we  saw  white 
nutritious  bread.  Here  we  saw  a  machine  for  cleaning  the 
wheat  of  furze,  before  it  is  put  in  the  hopper.  Here  is  a 
dam  across  the  river,  and  a  bridge — a  carding  and  fulling 
machine,  and  store.  Our  boat  passed  through  a  small 
aperture  in  the  dam.  The  authority  by  which  this  has 
been  effected,  requires  some  explanation. 

The  falls  at  this  place,  called  the  Seneca  Falls,  are  thirty 
feet,  and  extend  a  mile.  The  Seneca  Lake  is  fifty  feet 
higher  than  the  Cayuga.  Last  session  a  petition  was  pre- 
sented to  the  Legislature  for  leave  to  dam  up  and  improve 
this  river,  by  incorporating  a  company  for  the  purpose^, 
with  power  to  cut  canals  round  this  rapid  and  the  Schoys. 
This  was  a  speculating  scheme  with  a  view  to  hydraulic 
works,  and  ought  never  to  be  granted. 

At  this  place  we  were  visited  by  Mr.  Rees,  Sheriff  of 
Ontario  county,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Chapman,  a  Presby- 
terian clergyman  of  Geneva.  We  put  up  at  Samuel 
Jack's  tavern,  where  we  dined  and  slept.  Jack's  sign  is 
that  of  a  field-piece.  In  his  best  room  was  suspended  a 
certificate  of  his  being  a  member  of  the  Tammany  Society 
of  New  York,  and  his  house  was  liberally  supplied  with 
profiles  of  himself  and  family,  cut  in  paper.  I  asked  him 
what  he  followed  in  New  York  ?  He  answered,  he  had 
been  in  the  clothes  line.  The  weather  being  rainy,  we 
determined,  as  we  found  this  house  comfortable  and  the 
men  civil,  to  stay  here  for  the  night.  Indeed,  several  of^ 
us  were  indisposed  with  head- ache,  and  the  commodore's 
had  increased  to  a  sick  head-ache  and  vomiting.  Our  in- 
disposition we  imputed  to  the  miasmatic  exhalation  of  the 
lakes  and  Cayuga  marshes. 

Here  we  saw  marine  shells  in  flint  stones,  found  on  the 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  99 

highest  land  between  the  lakes.  Marble  is  supposed  to  be 
made  of  shells  called  Madrepores.  The  principal  shell 
was  the  scallop. 

We  this  day  dismissed  all  our  hands,  and  sent  back  the 
Morris.  We  hired  a  new  set  of  hands  to  proceed  with 
the  Eddy  to  Geneva  We  had  no  great  reason  to  be  dis- 
pleased with  the  men  of  the  Eddy,  until  we  discovered  in 
the  morning  that  they  had  taken  away  our  trumpet  and 
part  of  the  laths  that  supported  the  awning.  The  captain 
was  civil  and  decent,  but  conceited.  His  name  was  on 
every  house  and  lock  on  the  route. 

July  24,th.  We  were  all  better,  and  the  morning  was 
cool  and  pleasant.  We  walked  to  the  head  of  the  Seneca 
Falls  on  a  turnpike  which  passes  Mynderse's,  runs  parallel 
with  the  Seneca  turnpike,  passes  south  of  Salina,  and  joins 
the  former  turnpike  near  Manlius  square. 

Four  Commissioners  and  the  Surveyor  embarked  in  the 
Eddy,  at  seven  o'clock.  Colonel  Porter,  the  young  gen- 
tlemen, and  servants,  went  to  Geneva  by  land.  Our  boat 
had  been  pushed  over  the  falls  by  the  new  hands.  The 
river  was  very  low,  and  about  three  chains  wide.  Our 
men  were  good-natured,  sagacious  coopers  from  New 
England,  who  understood  nothing  about  boating.  Their 
names  were  Bellows,  Cotton,  Arnold,  Rudd,  and  Resolved 
Waterman. 

Schoy's  Rapid  is  six  miles  from  Mynderse's,  and  extends 
three-quarters  of  a  mile.  The  fall  is  sixteen  feet.  There 
is  a  bridge  over  the  river  here.  The  ground  on  the  left 
bank  is  laid  out  into  a  village,  by  one  Baer,  who  married 
a  niece  of  Governor  Snyder,  on  a  lot  of  100  acres,  pur- 
chased from  the  State,  and  part  of  No.  4  Romulus.  Lots 
on  one-quarter  of  an  acre  sell  from  $45  to  $50.     Here  are 


100  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

mills,  a  store,  post-office,  tavern,  and  a  few  houses.     The 
distance  by  land  or  water  to  Geneva  is  seven  miles. 

It  being  a  considerable  rain,  we  stopped  at  Samuel  W. 
Smith's  tavern.  He  appeared  to  know  us  all.  Smith's 
daughter  had  seen  the  commodore  at  Pleasant  Valley,  in 
Dutchess  County.  The  family  were  decent.  Smith  is  a 
freemason,  and  paid  me  particular  attention.  I  discovered 
in  his  bar  some  violent  Federal  hand-bills,  principally 
against  me ;  and  as  I  took  one  of  them  in  my  hand,  he 
was  so  disconcerted  that  he  broke  a  decanter.  In  his 
garden  I  saw  short  corn,  which  comes  to  maturity  in 
seven  weeks.  The  corn,  however,  of  the  most  rapid 
growth,  is  the  Mandane  from  the  Missouri.  Quere — 
Gelston  ? 

My  father  owns  No.  14  Romulus,  adjoining  the  Schoy's 
lot,  which  is  said  to  be  worth  at  least  814  per  acre. 
A  Dutchman  from  New  Jersey,  of  the  name  of  Van 
Riper,  who  was  anxious  to  purchase  this  lot,  was  talking 
to  me  about  it,  and  he  recognized  the  commodore  as  a 
clerk  in  the  factory  at  Patterson,  to  our  great  amusement 
and  to  his  great  mortification.  We  were  told  at  Schoy's, 
that  before  the  erection  of  Mynderse's  and  Baldwin's  mill- 
dams,  salmon  was  in  considerable  plenty,  but  that  since, 
they  have  been  scarce. 

We  left  Schoy's  at  eleven  o'clock,  and  walked  to  the  head 
of  the  rapid  where  we  again  embarked.  From  this  place 
to  the  Seneca  Lake  the  river  is  one  and  a-half  chains  wide, 
and  from  eight  to  ten  feet  deep.  The  color  is  a  cerulean 
or  a  beautiful  sea-green.  Until  you  arrive  at  Schoy's  the 
country  is  well  settled  on  both  sides.  Above  it  there  is  a 
prodigious  swamp,  and  on  the  left  side,  four  miles  from 
Geneva,  a  large  creek  opens  into  the  river.     When  we 


PRIVATE  JOURNAL.  101 

arrived  near  the  lake  we  left  the  boat,  and  after  a  delight- 
ful walk  on  its  margin  arrived  at  Geneva  at  two  o'clock, 
and  put  up  at  Powell's  Hotel,  where  we  found  our  com- 
pany that  had  proceeded  by  land. 

Having  now  concluded  our  voyage,  and  intending  to 
proceed  from  this  place  by  land,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to 
look  back  and  reflect  upon  the  means  which  we  took  to 
guard  against  sickness  during  a  voyage  of  twenty -one 
days,  through  the  most  insalubrious  waters,  exposed  to  the 
alternations  of  heat  and  rain,  the  miasmata  of  marshes, 
the  exhalations  of  swamps,  the  fogs  of  rivers,  the  want  of 
sleep,  and  frequently  of  good  water. 

In  the  first  place,  we  were  well  provided  with  good  vic- 
tuals. Our  appetites  were  generally  good,  and  our  prin- 
cipal drink  w^as  port  wine,  which  was  recommended  to  us 
by  the  senior  Commissioner. 

In  the  second  place,  we  took  medicines  when  we  found 
ourselves  indisposed.  Dr.  Hosack  had  provided  us  with 
James's  Fever  Powders,  Elixir  Proprietatis,  Bark  and 
Emetics;  and  we  had  got  at  Albany  Lee's  Anti-bilious 
Pills — pills  recommended  by  Mr.  G.  Morris,  and  some 
mentioned  by  Ellicott,  when  he  was  a  Commissioner  to 
run  the  boundary  line  between  the  United  States  and  the 
Floridas.  He  says  in  his  journal  that  it  was  given  to  him 
by  Dr.  Rush,  and  that  as  long  as  his  stock  lasted  he  was 
free  from  fever,  but  as  soon  as  he  quit  the  use  of  it  he  was 
seriously  attacked.  The  receipt  is  as  follows  :  "  Two  grains 
of  calomel  with  half  a  grain  of  gamboge,  combined  by  a 
little  soap."  These  pills  we  used  liberally  and  found  them 
very  efficacious. 

In  the  third  place ;  although  w^e  passed  through  places 
where  people  were  taken  down  with  fever,  and  although 


102  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

one  of  our  captains  was  seriously  sick,  and  from  the  aspect 
of  the  land  and  water  it  appeared  to  be  impossible  for  a 
stranger  to  escape  their  deleterious  influence,  yet  w^e  main- 
tained a  uniform  flow  of  good  spirits.  The  song  and  the 
flute,  the  jest  and  vive  la  bagatelle,  more  than  our  most 
powerful  medicines,  were  the  best  antidotes  to  sickness. 

We  here  received  a  letter  from  M.  and  V.  R.,  apologizing 
for  leaving  this  place,  and  promising  to  meet  us  on  the 
Niagara  River.  Jackson,  the  British  Minister,  passed 
through  this  village  on  the  19th. 

The  Yankee  coopers  who  brought  our  boat  from  Myn- 
derse's,  asked  $15  instead  of  810  for  their  services,  which 
last  was  the  usual  and  proper  price.  The  commodore 
objected  to  the  demand,  but  finally  gave  them  $12  50.  He 
stated  that  they  did  not  know  how  to  row,  and  that  they 
were  continually  running  the  boat  zig-zag  from  one  side  of 
the  river  to  the  other.  To  which  one  of  them  immedi- 
ately replied,  that  their  object  in  so  doing  was  to  give  the 
Commissioners  the  most  ample  opportunity  of  exploring 
and  examining  the  river.  The  Eddy  was  here  sold  for 
$30  without  the  sails. 

The  principal  obstructions  in  the  Seneca  River  are  the 
Seneca  Falls  and  the  Schoy's  Rapid.  Towards  the  source 
there  are  some  shallows.  From  the  Schoy's  to  the  lake  it 
runs  through  a  swamp.  The  distance  between  the  lakes 
is  in  general  fourteen  miles.  The  narrowness  of  this  and 
the  Cayuga  Lake  renders  the  view  of  them  different  from 
that  of  the  Oneida  Lake,  for  in  the  latter,  looking  length- 
ways, you  cannot  see  land.  The  Seneca  Lake  is  forty 
miles  long  from  north  to  south,  and  on  an  average  three 
miles  wide.  It  is  a  beautiful  expanse  of  water,  good  to 
drink,  of  a  sea-green  color,  warm  in  winter  and  cold  in 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  103 

summer,  and  never  freezes.  Delicious  trout  are  caught 
in  it,  one  weighed  eighteen  pounds ;  the  most  common 
weight  is  from  three  to  five  pounds.  Its  neighbor,  the 
Cayuga  Lake,  far  surpasses  it  in  fish.  The  only  outlet  is 
the  Seneca  River,  which  is  narrow  at  the  point  of  exit. 
There  is  a  bar  at  the  mouth  of  the  lake. 

Geneva  contains  about  one  hundred  houses,  and  its 
prosperity  appears  to  be  stationary,  as  no  new  ones  are 
building.  An  Episcopalian  and  a  Presbyterian  Church,  a 
Post-office,  a  printing-office,  and  a  number  of  stores  and 
mechanics'  shops  are  here.  It  is  delightfully  situated  on 
the  north-west  end  of  Seneca  Lake.  To  the  west  of  Ge- 
neva there  is  a  natural  marsh  or  meadow,  also  a  great 
deal  of  low  land  to  the  north.  On  the  east  is  the  lake. 
One  would  think  it  to  be  unhealthy,  but  it  is  said  not  to 
be  so.  The  woods  around  are  cleared,  and  probably  the 
meadows  are  drained.  Lots  here,  consisting  of  three 
quarters  of  an  acre  with  a  front  of  twenty  rods,  sell  for 
about  two  hundred  dollars — on  the  main  street,  from  four 
to  five  hundred  dollars. 

Geneva  is  in  the  town  of  Seneca,  which  turns  out  five 
hundred  votes.  The  leading  republicans  are  Septimus 
Evans,  Supervisor  and  Member  of  Assembly ;  Dr.  Good- 
win, and  Mr.  Dox,  a  merchant,  originally  from  Albany. 
The  town  is  republican,  notwithstanding  a  federal  paper, 
called  the  Geneva  Gazette,  is  published  here  every  Wed- 
nesday, by  James  Bogert. 

Powell's  Hotel  was  built  by  Capt.  Charles  Williamson, 
the  agent  of  the  Pulteney  estate,  who  also  laid  out  the 
south  part  of  this  village.  It  is  a  very  large  and  expensive 
wooden  building,  and  has,  besides  an  ice-house  and  the 
other  appendages  of  a  great  establishment,  a  descending 


104  fE    WITT    CLINTON. 

hanging-garden  on  the  side  of  the  lake.  The  fruit-trees, 
particularly  the  peach,  apricot,  and  plum,  look  remarkably 
vigorous  and  healthy.  The  Alta  Frutex,  Syringa,  Moss 
Locust,  Persian  Lilac,  Jessamine,  etc.,  and  a  number  of 
other  shrubs,  are  also  in  fine  order.  Grapes  appear  to  do 
well.  The  peaches  this  year  blossomed  in  February,  and 
through  the  whole  western  country  have  been  destroyed 
by  a  frost. 

Capt.  Williamson  was  a  great  benefactor  to  this  coun- 
try, although  not  to  the  Pulteney  estate.  No  man  has 
contributed  more  to  the  population,  the  wealth,  and  the 
general  improvement  of  this  country  than  he.  He  ex- 
pended, by  drafts  on  his  employers,  £600,000.  In  order 
to  keep  up  the  price  of  lands  he  frequently  purchased  them 
at  a  high  rate.  He  was  a  gentleman,  a  man  of  honor  and 
intelligence.     He  is  now  no  more. 

Phelps  and  Gorham  gave  for  the  Massachusetts  land, 
two  or  three  cents  an  acre.  Not  being  able  to  make  good 
their  payments,  they  surrendered  the  country  west  of  the 
Genesee  river,  to  their  grantors,  and  R.  Morris  gave  for 
it  one  shilling  per  acre.     The  value  is  now  incalculable. 

July  25th. — We  left  Geneva  to  view  the  confluence  of 
Mud  Creek  and  the  Canandaigua  outlet,  at  Lyons.  We 
traveled  in  two  wagons,  and  sent  our  baggage  and  two  of 
our  servants  to  Canandaigua  by  the  usual  route.  About 
two  miles  from  Geneva  we  passed  a  place  once  famous  as 
an  Indian  castle,  and  called  Canadusaga.  This  was  de- 
stroyed by  Sullivan's  army,  together  with  an  old  Indian 
orchard,  which  has  now  grown  up  and  is  flourishing,  and 
which,  if  not  destroyed,  would  have  been  useless,  on  ac- 
count of  the  age  of  the  trees.  There  is  an  Indian  mound 
or  barrow  for  interring  the  dead  at  this  place. 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  105 

The  country  is  well  settled,  fertile,  and  abounding  in 
wheat,  which  is  now  gathering.  We  halted  at  T.  Oaks' 
tavern,  in  Phelpstown,  near  which  is  a  Presbyterian  church, 
six  miles  from  Geneva.  Here,  according  to  appointment, 
we  conferred  with  Jonathan  Melvin,  a  plain,  illiterate  far- 
mer, respecting  a  route  projected  by  him,  from  Galen  salt 
works  on  the  Seneca  river,  to  Port  Bay,  on  Lake  Ontario. 
He  has  property  on  Port  Bay,  and  says,  that  he  has  ex- 
amined the  route  personally.  The  result  of  his  informa- 
tion, reduced  to  writing  on  the  spot,  is  as  follows,  to  wit: — 

Half  a  mile  above  Galen  Salt  Works,  Crusoe  Creek 
empties  into  Seneca  river,  opposite  Bluff  point ;  from 
thence  to  Crusoe  Lake,  dead  water,  navigable  by  a  Dur- 
ham boat.  From  the  outlet  to  the  head  of  the  lake,  one 
and  a  half  or  two  miles ;  from  the  head  of  the  lake  to  the 
inlet  of  Port  Bay,  three  miles  through  a  swamp  ;  down 
the  said  inlet  four  and  a  half  miles,  to  the  great  falls, 
which  are  forty  feet  perpendicular  ;  from  thence  to  where 
the  waters  are  dead,  and  seven  or  eight  feet  deep,  one 
mile  and  a  half;  from  thence  to  the  head  of  the  bay,  one 
mile  and  a  half;  a  bar  at  the  entrance  of  the  bay  may  be 
removed ;  thence  to  the  outlet  of  the  bay,  one  mile  and  a 
half;  the  bay  a  mile  wide,  the  outlet  three-quarters  of  a 
mile  wide ;  the  whole  distance  eighteen  miles. 

July  25th,  continued. — We  proceeded  to  Lyons,  ten 
miles  north,  through  a  violent  shower,  having  left  the 
commodore,  who  accompanied  Mr.  Reese,  in  his  chair,  at 
Oaks'  tavern.  This  village  is  near  the  confluence  of 
Mud  Creek  and  Canandaigua  outlet ;  the  latter  contains 
four  times  as  much  water  as  the  first,  and  both  together 
are  about  as  large  as  the  Mohawk.  This  village  was  laid 
out  by  Captain  Williamson,  and  contains  two  taverns  and 


106  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

twenty  or  thirty  houses,  principally  occupied  by  Metho  • 
dists.  Lots  of  a  quarter  of  an  acre  sell  for  forty  or  fifty 
dollars.  After  viewing  the  rivers,  we  dined  here  and  re- 
turned. 

On  our  return,  a  mile  from  Lyons,  and  a  mile  from  the 
road  in  a  thick  wood,  we  stopped  to  see  a  camp-meeting 
of  Methodists.  The  ground  was  somewhat  elevated  ;  the 
woods  were  cleared,  and  a  circle  was  made  capable  of 
containing  several  thousands.  The  circle  was  formed  of 
wooden  cabins,  tents,  covered  wagons,  and  other  vehicles. 
At  one  end  of  the  circle  a  rostrum  was  erected,  capable 
of  containing  several  persons,  and  below  the  rostrum  or 
pulpit,  was  an  orchestra  fenced  in.  We  arrived  at  this 
place  before  the  meeting  was  opened,  and  we  found  it  ex- 
cessively damp  and  disagreeable,  from  the  heavy  rains. 
Here,  eating  and  drinking  was  going  on ;  there,  people 
were  drying  themselves  by  a  fire.  In  one  place,  a  man 
had  a  crowd  around  him,  to  listen  to  his  psalm  singing  ; 
in  another,  a  person  was  vociferating  his  prayer.  And 
again,  a  person  had  his  arm  around  the  neck  of  another, 
looking  him  full  in  the  face,  and  admonishing  him  of  the 
necessity  of  repentance  ;  and  the  poor  object  of  his  solici- 
tude, listening  to  his  exhortations  with  tear-sufFused  eyes. 
At  length  four  preachers  ascended  the  pulpit,  and  the 
orchestra  was  filled  with  forty  more.  The  people,  about 
two  hundred  in  number,  were  called  together  by  a  trum- 
pet, the  women  took  the  left  and  the  men  the  right  hand 
of  the  ministers.  A  good-looking  man  opened  the  service 
with  prayer,  during  which  groans  followed  every  part  of 
his  orisons,  decidedly  emphatical.  After  prayer  he  com- 
menced a  sermon,  the  object  of  which  was  to  prove  the 
utility  of  preaching  up  the  terrors  of  hell,  as  necessary  to 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  107 

arrest  the  attention  of  the  audience  to  the  arguments  of 
the  ministers.  And  this  was  undoubtedly  intended  as  a 
prelude  to  terrific  discourses.  Capt.  Dorsey,  who  was  a 
member  of  the  Assembly  last  session,  and  who  is  a  devout 
Methodist,  was  kind  enough  to  show  us  seats,  and  to  in- 
vite us  to  breakfast  in  the  morning,  at  his  house ;  but  the 
dampness  of  the  place,  and  the  approach  of  night,  com- 
pelled us  to  depart  before  the  sermon  was  completed, 
which  we  did  singly,  so  as  to  avoid  any  interruption.  We 
were  mortified  at  the  conduct  of  our  drivers  in  turning  the 
carriages,  so  as  to  draw  off  the  attention  of  the  people 
from  the  sermon.  We  sent  an  apology  for  it  to  Capt. 
Dorsey,  they  were  expressly  directed  to  do  this  on  our 
arrival.  As  far  as  we  could  hear,  the  voice  of  the 
preacher,  growing  louder  and  louder,  reached  our  ears  as 
we  departed,  and  we  met  crowds  of  people  going  to  the 
sermon.  On  the  margin  of  the  road,  we  saw  persons  with 
cakes,  beer,  and  other  refreshments  for  sale. 

We  returned  to  Oaks'  tavern,  where  we  slept.  The 
commodore  had  proceeded  with  Mr.  Reese  after  dinner, 
and  we  did  not  meet  him.  In  the  course  of  the  evening 
the  Surveyor-General  mentioned  the  singular  death  of  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Hartman  some  years  ago.  He  was  a  Lutheran 
minister,  far  advanced  in  life.  He  took  passage  from  New 
York  for  Clermont,  and  the  wind  being  adverse  part  of 
the  way,  he  became  very  uneasy.  On  his  arrival  at  the 
place  of  destination,  he  told  Mrs.  Livingston,  the  chan- 
cellor's mother,  that  he  had  come  to  lay  his  old  bones 
there,  and  expressed  great  anxiety  to  have  his  will  written, 
as  he  was  to  die  the  next  day  at  12  o'clock  at  night.  The 
chancellor  wrote  his  will ;  he  appeared  to  be  composed, 
and  in  his  usual  state  of  health.     The  family  considered 


108  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

his  prediction  a  whim,  but  appointed  a  person  to  watch 
him.     When  the  clock  struck  twelve  he  expired. 

July  2Gth.  We  departed  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning 
for  the  Sulphur  Springs,  in  Farmington,  six  miles  distant, 
where  we  found  the  commodore  and  Mr.  Reese,  We 
breakfasted  here,  in  a  handsome  house. 

We  passed  through  the  principal  part  of  Farmington, 
a  republican  town.  The  first  settler  here  was  from  Ver- 
mont, who  brought  with  him  a  four-pound  cannon,  which 
he  had  taken  from  the  British  during  the  war.  A  number 
of  Marylanders  are  settled  here,  as  may  be  seen  from  their 
large  crops  of  corn  and  tobacco.  An  emigrant  from  Fre- 
dericks county  says,  that  the  land  here  does  not  produce 
more  than  there,  but  that  his  inducements  to  remove  were 
his  large  family,  and  the  cheapness  of  the  land.  The 
country  from  Oaks'  to  the  Springs  is  thickly  settled,  and 
covered  with  wheat,  which  yields  twenty-five  bushels  an 
acre.  Four  parallel  roads  run  in  this  direction,  which  are 
full  of  people,  and  one  of  them  is  a  turnpike. 

As  you  approach  the  Springs,  the  smell  of  sulphur  re- 
minds you  of  the  Stygian  lake,  of  the  heathen  mythology. 
There  are  two  springs,  a  quarter-of-a-mile  distant.  The 
water  is  very  cold,  and  a  considerable  stream  runs  from 
the  principal  spring.  You  see  sulphur  in  its  virgin  state 
lying  around,  with  concretions  of  stone  formed  by  it,  and 
gypsum  mingled  with  the  sulphur,  forming  in  some  places 
beds,  into  which  you  can  penetrate  a  pole  of  five  feet. 
There  is  a  bathing-house  adjacent  to  the  spring,  for  the 
accommodation  of  invalids.  It  is  supposed  that  there  is 
some  arsenic  in  the  waters.  Having  before  seen  a  sul- 
phur spring  at  Cherry  Valley,  my  curiosity  was  not  much 
excited. 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  109 

The  road  is  populous  and  thickly  settled  to  Canandaigua, 
the  County  town,  in  which  all  the  roads  in  the  country 
center,  as  radii  from  a  common  center.  It  is  nearly  the 
center  of  territory,  as  well  as  of  population. 

Half-a-mile  north  of  the  village  we  perceived  the  remains 
of  an  old  fortification.  A  mound  of  earth  two  feet  high 
runs  round  two  acres,  and,  as  far  as  I  could  judge,  it  is 
nearly  of  an  eUiptical  form.  A  ditch  surrounds  the  whole  ; 
there  were  the  appearances  of  two  gates  or  entrances,  on 
the  north  and  south  side.  The  ditch  is  nearly  filled  and 
narrow ;  part  of  the  ground  has  been  ploughed.  On  the 
side  of  the  ditch  and  in  the  fort  there  are  oaks  upwards 
of  150  years  old.  This  work  is  on  the  highest  ground 
in  its  vicinity.  There  are  two  others  near  the  village. 
Munro  attributes  these  and  similar  works  to  the  French, 
but  he  is  unquestionably  mistaken. 

We  reached  Canandaigua  at  twelve  o'clock,  and  put  up 
at  Taylor's  hotel ;  an  indifferent  house.  This  village  is 
pleasantly  situated  at  the  north  end  of  Canandaigua  Lake, 
a  fine  body  of  water,  eighteen  miles  long,  and  from  one  to 
two  miles  wide.  There  are  more  fish  in  it  than  in  Seneca 
Lake.  A  trout  weighing  twenty-eight  pounds  has  been 
caught  in  it,  which  had  in  its  belly  a  whole  fish  of  two 
pounds  weight.  There  are  here  a  Court-house,  Jail, 
Academy,  Post-office,  two  printing-presses,  and  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  houses.  The  main  street  strikes  the 
outlet  of  the  lake  at  right  angles,  and  has  a  great  many 
elegant  houses.  The  Academy  is  not  painted,  and  ap- 
pears to  be  in  a  decaying  situation,  although  it  is  endowed 
with  property  to  the  value  of  $20,000.  This  is  a  place  of 
great  business,  and  the  society  is  agreeable.  The  lots 
were  so  laid  out  in  the  main  street,  as  to  contain  origin- 


110  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

ally  forty  acres  in  the  rear.  A  very  handsome  house 
and  five  acres,  on  a  commanding  situation  in  this  street, 
were  sold  lately  for  $4,000.  There  are  eleven  lawyers 
here.  The  Indians  had  considerable  settlements  in  this 
place,  w^hen  Sullivan's  army  passed  through  and  destroyed 
them.  The  mill-dams  near  the  outlet  render  the  low^er 
part  of  the  village  unhealthy.  Butter  here  sells  for  one 
shilling  per  pound  ;  the  best  beef,  five  cents ;  common 
beef  and  mutton,  four  cents. 

A  plain  coachee  with  leather  curtains,  belonging  to  Je- 
mima Wilkinson,  or  the  Friend,  as  she  is  called,  was  here 
for  repairs  at  the  coach-maker's.  On  the  back  of  it  are 
inscribed  in  large  letters,  V-j-F,  and  a  star  on  each  side. 
She  resides  with  thirty  or  forty  followers  at  Crooked 
Lake,  in  this  county.  She  is  opposed  to  war,  to  oaths, 
and  to  marriage ;  and  to  her  confidential  friends  she  repre- 
sents herself  as  Jesus  Christ  personified  in  the  body  of  Je- 
mima Wilkinson. 

I  saw  Judge  Atwater,  Mr.  Phelps,  Mercer,  and  other 
respectable  Republicans,  and  I  gladly  availed  myself  of  a 
polite  invitation  of  J.  C.  Spencer  to  take  a  bed  at  his 
house,  having  first  rode  with  him  in  his  chaise  through 
the  village  and  its  vicinity. 

July  27th.  Young  Eddy  being  indisposed  with  fever, 
the  other  two  young  gentlemen  agreed  to  stay  with  him, 
and  join  us  at  Buffalo.  We  hired  two  wagons  for  the 
conveyance  of  five  commissioners,  a  surveyor,  and  two 
servants ;  one  servant  rode  on  horseback,  and  we  had  a 
baggage-wagon  besides.  The  commodore  left  us  with  an 
intention  of  joining  us  in  the  evening,  after  visiting  some 
Quakers.  At  Col.  Porter's  request,  we  stopped  at  Col. 
Norton's,  in  Bloomfield,  six  miles  from  Canandaigua.     A 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  Ill 

genteel  house  and  family,  but  the  proprietor  being  absent 
our  visit  was  short. 

We  dined  on  our  own  provisions  at  Dryer's  tavern, 
in  Bloomfield.  The  country  so  far  was  very  populous, 
fertile,  and  delightful,  particularly  that  part  of  it  called 
Broughton  Hill,  an  elevated  portion,  affording  an  exten- 
sive prospect.  After  leaving  Dryer's  inn,  the  country 
changes  for  the  worse.  There  is  no  underwood,  and  the 
predominant  timber  is  oak.  We  crossed  Gerundigut  Creek 
at  Mann's  mills,  where  Mr.  Geddes  proposes  a  great  em- 
bankment for  his  canal,  from  the  Genesee  River  to  the 
head  waters  of  Mud  Creek.  He  crosses  Gerundigut  Creek 
here,  in  order  to  attain  the  greatest  elevation  of  ground 
on  the  other  side.  Adjacent  to  this  place  were  indications 
of  iron  ore  and  red  ochre,  which  often  accompany  each 
other. 

We  arrived  at  Perrin's  tavern,  in  the  town  of  Boyle, 
twenty-one  miles  from  Canandaigua,  four  and  a-half  from 
Gerundigut  or  Irondequot  landing,  and  fourteen  from 
Charleston.  A  vessel  of  thirty  tons  cargo  comes  to  the 
head  of  this  landing.  The  sign  of  the  tavern  contains 
masonic  emblems,  and  is  by  S.  Felt  &  Co.  Felt  is  a  man 
in  the  employ  of  the  landlord,  and  the  object  of  this  marked 
sign  is,  as  the  landlord  says,  to  prevent  his  debtors  from 
seizing  the  house.  Perrin  is  a  violent  Federalist.  He  be- 
haved to  me  with  great  civility,  conversed  about  masonry, 
and  presented  me  with  a  masonic  sermon.  We  drew  lots 
for  the  choice  of  beds  ;  and  it  turning  out  in  my  favor,  I 
chose  the  worst  bed  in  the  house.  I  was  unable  to  sleep 
on  account  of  the  fleas.  At  this  place  we  ate  the  cele- 
brated white  fish  salted.  It  is  better  than  shad,  and  cost 
at  Irondequot  landing  812  per  barrel. 


112  DE    WITT    CLINTON, 

July  28th.  We  departed  from  here  at  seven  o'clock, 
after  breakfast,  and  after  a  ride  of  eight  and  a  half  miles 
arrived  at  a  ford  of  the  Genesee  river,  about  twelve  miles 
from  the  Great  Falls,  and  seven  and  a  half  miles  from 
Lake  Ontario.  This  ford  is  one  rock  of  limestone.  Just 
below  it  there  is  a  fall  of  fourteen  feet.  An  excellent 
bridge  of  uncommon  strength  is  now  erecting  at  this 
place.  We  took  a  view  of  the  upper  and  lower  falls. 
The  first  is  ninety-seven  and  the  other  seventy-five  feet. 
The  banks  on  each  side  are  higher  than  the  falls,  and  ap- 
pear to  be  composed  of  slate,  cut  principally  of  red  free- 
stone. The  descent  of  the  water  is  perpendicular.  The 
view  is  grand,  considering  the  elevation  of  the  bank  and 
the  smallness  of  the  cataract  or  sheet  of  water. 

From  the  ford  to  the  lake  is  seven  and  a  half  miles  ; 
from  the  great  falls  to  the  lake,  seven  miles ;  from  the 
great  to  the  lower  falls,  one  mile  and  a  half ;  from  the 
lower  falls  to  Hanford's  tavern,  where  we  put  up,  one  mile 
and  a  half;  from  Hanford's  to  Charlottesburgh,  on  the 
lake,  four  miles.  There  is  a  good  sloop  navigation  to  the 
lower  falls. 

These  falls,  as  also  those  of  Niagara,  and  perhaps  of 
Oswego,  are  made  by  the  same  ridge  or  slope  of  land. 
The  Genesee  river,  in  former  times,  may  have  been  dam- 
med up  at  these  falls,  and  have  formed  a  vast  lake,  cover- 
ing all  the  Genesee  Flats,  forty  miles  up.  The  navigation 
above  the  ford  is  good  for  small  boats  to  the  Canaseraga 
Creek,  and  ten  miles  above  it,  making  altogether  fifty 
miles. 

We  dined  and  slept  at  Hanford's  tavern ;  he  is  also  a 
merchant,  and  carries  on  considerable  trade  with  Canada. 
There  is  a  great  trade  between  this  country  and  Montreal, 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  113 

in  staves,  potash,  and  flour.  I  wsis  informed  by  Mr,  Hop- 
kins, the  officer  of  the  customs  here,  that  1000  barrels  of 
flour,  1000  ditto  of  pork,  1000  ditto  of  potash,  and  up- 
wards of  100,000  staves  had  been  ah-eady  sent  this  season 
from  here  to  Montreal ;  that  staves  now  sold  there  for 
il40  per  thousand,  and  had  at  one  time  brought  $400 
that  the  expense  of  transporting  1000  staves  from  this 
place  to  Montreal  is  from  $85  to  $90 ;  across  the  lake., 
from  $45  to  $50 ;  of  a  barrel  ^of  potash  to  Montreal, 
twenty  shillings ;  of  pork,  sixteen  shillings ;  of  flour,  ten 
shillings  ;  but  that  the  cheapness  of  this  article  is  owing  to 
a  competition,  and  is  temporary.  A  ton  of  goods  can  be 
transported  from  Canandaigua  to  Utica,  by  land,  for 
twenty  shillings. 

Notwithstanding  the  rain,  we  visited  in  the  afternoon 
the  mouth  of  the  river.  On  the  left  bank  a  village  has 
been  laid  out  by  Colonel  Troup,  the  agent  of  the  Pulteney 
estate,  and  called  Charlottesburgh,  in  compliment  to  his 
daughter.  He  has  divided  the  land  into  one  acre  lots. 
Each  lot  is  sold  at  ten  dollars  per  acre,  on  condition  that 
the  purchaser  erects  a  house  in  a  year.  This  place  is  in 
the  town  of  Genesee.  The  harbour  here  is  good.  The 
bar  at  the  mouth  varies  from  eight  to  eight  and  a-half  feet, 
and  the  channel  is  generally  eleven  feet.  There  were 
four  lake  vessels  in  it.  We  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing 
the  lake  in  a  storm,  and  it  perfectly  resembled  its  parent, 
the  ocean,  in  the  agitation,  the  roaring,  and  the  violence  of 
its  waves. 

The  commodore  overtook  us  at  the  ford,  and  subdued 
a  severe  sick  head-ache  by  strong  potations  of  tea. 

July  29th,  Sunday.     We  set  off  at  six  o'clock,  and 
breakfasted  at  Davis's  tavern,  in  Parma,  nine  miles  from 
8 


114  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

the  place  of  our  departure.  Our  baggage  wagon  con- 
tained our  provisions,  on  which  we  generally  fared. 
Davis  lives  on  the  Pulteney  lands,  in  a  two-story  log 
house.  He  has  been  here  four  years,  and  gave  three 
dollars  an  acre  on  a  credit  of  five  years. 

Shortly  after  leaving  the  Genesee  river,  we  entered  a 
remarkable  road  called  the  Ridge  Road,  extending  from 
that  river  to  Lewiston,  seventy-eight  miles.  The  general 
elevation  of  the  ridge  is  from  ten  to  thirty  feet,  and  its 
width  varies.  Sometimes  it  is  not  more  than  fifteen  or 
twenty  yards,  and  its  general  distance  from  Lake  Ontario 
is  ten  miles ;  at  Davis's  it  is  nine  miles.  This  ridge  runs 
from  east  to  west.  About  from  three  to  half  a-mile  south, 
and  parallel  with  this  ridge,  there  is  a  slope  or  terrace, 
elevated  200  feet  more  than  the  ridge,  with  a  limestone 
top,  and  the  base  freestone.  The  indications  on  the 
ridge  show  that  it  was  originally  the  bank  of  the  lake. 
The  rotundity  of  the  stones,  the  gravel,  &c.,  all  demon- 
strate the  agitation  of  the  waters.  When  the  country 
between  it  and  the  lake  is  cleared,  it  will  furnish  a  charm- 
ing view  of  that  great  body  of  water. 

We  saw  along  the  road  great  quantities  of  ginseng,  a 
beautiful  convolvulus,  or  vine,  with  a  delicate  jessamine- 
like flower,  which  General  N.  has  naturalized  in  his  gar- 
den. Wherever  there  have  been  clearings  in  the  wood, 
by  the  agency  of  fire,  we  saw  the  weed  called  fire-weed, 
which  is  always  to  be  seen  in  such  situations,  and  is  made 
use  of  as  an  argument  in  favor  of  spontaneous  or  equivo- 
cal vegetation. 

I  saw  for  the  third  time  the  beautiful  red-bird,  before 
mentioned.  He  derives,  from  the  singular  redness  of  his 
plumage,  the  appellation  of  the  Cardinal  Bird.     We  also 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  115 

saw  numbers  of  robins,  blue  birds,  blue  jays,  three  kinds  of 
wood-peckers  and  hawks,  and  a  great  number  of  black- 
birds. We  also  observed  that  all  the  squirrels  we  met 
with  were  black,  which  is  the  case  all  over  the  western 
country. 

Our  ride  to  Davis's  was  unpleasant.  It  had  rained  all 
night,  and  this  morning  for  two  hours.  The  day,  how- 
ever, became  pleasant.  In  this  sequestered  spot  we  had 
the  satisfaction  of  seeing  a  bower,  where  forty  persons 
had  assembled  to  celebrate  the  birth-day  of  our  nation. 
And  this  pleasure  would  have  been  more  lively  if  we  had 
not  perceived  a  great  number  of  electioneering  hand- 
bills. 

Land  on  this  road  is  excellent,  and  is  clothed  with  va- 
luable and  heavy  timber.  It  produces  in  wheat,  twenty- 
five  bushels  an  acre,  and  corn  in  the  same  ratio.  It  sells 
on  the  road  for  five  dollars  per  acre,  and  is  but  thinly 
settled. 

We  rode  seven  miles  to  dinner,  and  dined  on  cold  ham. 
The  house  was  kept  by  R.  Abby,  justice,  tavern-keeper, 
and  proprietor  of  a  saw-mill.  His  only  library  was  a 
Conductor  Generalis ;  and  a  crowd  of  drunken  people 
were  collected  about  the  house.  In  excuse  for  the  justice, 
it  might  be  remarked,  that  he  was  not  at  home ;  he  was 
met  on  the  road  by  some  of  our  company,  and  expressed 
an  intention  of  calling  upon  me  at  our  lodgings,  in  the 
evening,  of  which  pleasure  we  were,  however,  deprived. 
His  house  is  on  the  tract  of  land  called  the  Triangle,  in 
the  town  of  Murray.  About  a  mile  and  a  half  from  here, 
we  saw  a  man  who  had  been  settled  two  years  in  this 
country,  and  who  had  purchased  300  acres  for  $600. 
About  three  miles  west  of  Abbey's,  there  is  a  fine  nur- 


116  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

sery  of  young  apple-trees  and  a  good  orchard.  The  land 
in  this  town  sells  for  five  dollars  an  acre,  on  the  road  ; 
back  of  the  road  it  is  sold  for  four. 

We  met  to-day  a  man  going  to  Charlottesburgh,  on  the 
Genesee  River,  with  tvs^o  barrels  of  potash,  drawn  by  two 
oxen  in  a  cart.  He  must  have  gone  twenty-six  miles  to 
market.  Potash  works  are  numerous  over  the  coast,  and 
appear  to  be  the  great  resource  of  the  people  for  raising 
money.  We  observed  a  man  reaping  wheat  to-day,  and 
others  patrolling  the  woods  with  guns,  so  that  Sunday  does 
not  appear  to  be  held  in  high  veneration.  Natural  mea- 
dows were  frequent  on  both  sides  of  the  ridge.  The  wheat 
was  good,  and  the  corn  bad.  The  frost,  which  happened 
on  the  night  we  lodged  at  Van  Valkenburgh's  tavern,  on  the 
Oswego  River,  appears  to  have  affected  corn-fields  par- 
tially, from  here  to  Canandaigua,  as  if  it  had  proceeded  like 
a  current  of  cold  air,  avoiding  the  highlands,  and  scatter- 
ing devastation  among  the  corn  on  low  grounds. 

The  driver  of  our  baggage-wagon  is  named  Finch,  and 
is  a  fugitive  from  Vermont.  He  commanded  the  mam- 
moth raft  that  escaped  from  Lake  Champlain  during  the 
embargo,  and  got  it  safe  to  Quebec,  where  he  would  have 
realized  a  handsome  fortune,  had  it  not  been  swept  away 
and  totally  destroyed  by  an  extraordinary  flood.  It  was 
owned  by  seventeen  people  ;  he  was  before  worth  $6,000. 
Being  ruined  by  the  failure  of  this  enterprise,  he  now  re- 
lies upon  his  team  and  industry  for  subsistence,  and  appears 
to  be  a  civil,  sober,  industrious,  and  intelligent  fellow. 

Six  miles  from  Abbey's  we  put  up  for  the  night  at 
Matteson's  tavern,  an  open  log  house,  in  the  town  of  Mur- 
ray, where  we  suffered  the  want  of  sleep,  and  encountered 
every  other  privation.     Two  slept  in  the  garret,  three  on 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  117 

the  floor  on  mattrasses,  and  I  thought  myself  happy  in 
putting  mine  on  a  wooden  chest,  where  I  avoided  the 
attacks  of  kittens.  The  night  was  very  damp  and  rainy — 
the  musquitoes  abundant ;  and  we  were  serenaded  by  the 
jingling  of  cow-bells,  and  the  screaming  of  drunken  clowns. 

July  20th,  Monday.  We  left  this  disagreeable  place  at 
half-past  five,  and  after  a  ride  of  four  hours  through  a 
wilderness,  we  arrived  at  one  Downer's,  a  private  house, 
and  nine  and  a  half  miles  from  where  we  slept.  Downer 
emigrated  from  Vermont  two  years  ago,  and  purchased  this 
farm,  which  is  in  the  town  of  Batavia,  for  eighteen  shillings 
per  acre.  It  is  twenty  miles  from  the  village  of  Batavia, 
eight  miles  from  lake  Ontario,  and  by  measurement,  thirty- 
two  and  a  half  from  the  Genesee  ford,  where  the  bridge  is 
erecting.  Here  we  partook  of  a  comfortable  breakfast  on 
our  own  provisions,  assisted  by  the  cheerful  hospitality  of 
our  talkative  landlady,  who  informed  us  that  they  had,  in 
a  time  of  scarcity,  been  obliged  to  give  twenty  shillings 
per  bushel  for  Indian  meal. 

The  rain  discontinuing,  we  proceeded  to  Sibley's  tavern, 
fifteen  miles  from  Matteson's,  twenty-five  from  Batavia, 
and  eight  from  the  lake.  Here  we  halted  awhile.  The 
land  along  this  route  has  been  sold  by  the  Holland  Land 
Company  for  from  eighteen  to  twenty  shiUings  per  acre. 
The  Ridge  Road  was  laid  out  by  their  agents  about  two 
years  since,  and  may  be  considered  as  a  great  natural  turn- 
pike. In  imagination,  one  might  suppose  that  this  ridge 
was  a  great  road,  created  some  thousand  years  ago,  by  the 
powerful  emperor  of  a  populous  State,  to  connect  the  lakes 
with  the  interior  country ;  or,  like  the  wall  of  China,  a 
great  breastwork,  erected  by  a  mighty  State,  to  protect 
the  country  against  incursions  from  the  lakes.     Such  as  it 


118  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

is,  the  lashing  of  the  waves  of  the  lakes  has  spread  this 
ridge  with  gravel ;  and  if  the  stumps  of  the  trees  are  eradi- 
cated, and  the  cavities  filled  up,  it  may  be  made  the  best 
road  in  the  United  States — the  expense  of  which  will  not 
exceed  $200  per  acre.  It  is  twenty  feet  wide,  but  in- 
tended to  be  five  rods.  The  Company  have  laid  out  their 
land  in  farms  of  160  acres,  twenty  chains  fronting  the 
road,  and  100  back,  and  they  are  now  worth,  in  this  situa- 
tion, four  dollars  per  acre. 

Mr.  Sibley  says  that  there  is  a  gentle  descent  from  here 
to  the  lake,  and  he  can  give  no  account  of  a  ridge  or  slope 
between  this  place  and  Batavia.  Can  there  be  a  break  in 
the  slope  here  ? 

About  nine  miles  south-west  of  Sibley's  there  are  salt- 
springs,  worked  by  Mr.  Ellicott,  the  agent  of  the  Holland 
Land  Company.  A  considerable  deal  is  made,  and  salt  is 
sold  for  a  dollar  a  bushel.  Eighteen  miles  from  here,  on 
the  Triangle,  and  north  of  the  road,  salt  is  also  manufac- 
tured, by  Mr.  Stoddert.  Perhaps  a  range  of  salt  springs, 
arising  from  a  mine  of  fossil  salt,  may  be  traced  from 
Salina  to  Kentucky,  and  from  thence  to  Louisiana. 

From  Sibley's  we  proceeded  to  the  Oak-Orchard,  three 
miles.  It  is  a  great  plain,  of  six  miles  in  extent,  from  east 
to  west,  covered  by  oak-trees,  with  little  or  no  underwood. 
Through  it  the  road  is  much  improved.  Oak-Orchard 
Creek  runs  through  here ;  the  banks  are  fifty  feet  steep. 
Five  miles  up  the  creek,  there  is  a  fall  of  thirty  feet,  which 
must  be  made  by  the  upper  ridge  or  slope.  We  could  not 
learn  the  condition  of  the  stream  above  the  falls.  There 
is  a  bar  at  the  mouth,  about  knee  deep  in  dry  seasons. 
In  the  Spring  and  Fall,  boats  can  ascend  this  creek  twelve 
miles.     For  three  miles  above  the  bar,  it  is  very  deep.    At 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  119 

the  mouth  it  is  about  thirty  feet  wide,  and  then  widens 
for  the  three  miles,  from  thirty  to  forty  rods.  If  the  bar 
could  be  removed,  it  would  form  an  excellent  harbor. 
Salmon,  muscalunga,  and  other  fish,  run  up  it.  Any  num- 
ber of  mills  may  be  erected  on  this  stream,  which  is  the 
only  one  in  this  country  that  will  work  a  mill  in  all  sea- 
sons. The  people  here  have  to  go  forty  miles,  to  Stod- 
dert's  mill,  in  this  dry  seasom,  which  certainly  reflects  no 
honor  on  the  Holland  Land  Company.  Before  Ellicott's 
salt-works  were  erected,  which  are  five  miles  up  the  creek, 
Onondaga  salt  sold  here  for  five  dollars  a  bushel.  On  the 
margin  of  the  creek  we  found  excellent  wild  onions  ;  wild 
leeks  are  also  in  the  woods. 

We  dined  at  one  Johnson's,  a  private  house,  five  and  a- 
half  miles  from  Sibley's,  and  three  from  EUicott's  salt 
works.  It  is  a  perfect  wilderness  from  here  to  Sibley's. 
Johnson  settled  here  in  the  spring,  and  gave  three  and  a- 
half  dollars  per  acre.  There  was  another  family  here,  and 
the  father  of  it  has  languished  with  fever  and  ague  the 
whole  season  without  making  an  effort  to  relieve  himself. 
Our  commodore,  like  the  Good  Samaritan,  left  some 
medicines  to  meet  his  case. 

We  proceeded  seven  and  a-half  miles  from  here  to  Stu- 
art's tavern,  in  the  town  of  Cambria,  in  Niagara  County, 
where  we  lodged,  making  in  the  whole  twenty-seven 
miles  this  day's  journey.  We  had  intended  to  stay  at  a 
tavern  two  miles  back,  but  were  prevented  by  a  person 
languishing  with  fever,  who  represented  himself  to  be  a 
physician  from  Peekskill,  of  the  name  of  Robert  Thomp- 
son Owens,  the  son  of  a  farmer  and*  on  his  way  to  New 
Orleans.  I  slept  in  company  with  the  commodore,  under 
Col.  Porter's  tent  or  sail,  and  made  out  extremely  well. 


120  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

July  31.  Tuesday.  The  people  at  Stuart's  have  mi- 
grated from  Washington  county,  and  are  decent  and  well- 
behaved.  There  is  an  abundance  of  bears  in  this  country ; 
one  of  our  servants  saw  one  near  the  house.  We  break- 
fasted here,  and  on  our  departure  the  landlord  missed  his 
razor  strop,  when  it  appeared  that  the  commodore,  after 
shaving  himself,  had  put  it  up  accidentally  in  his  trunk. 
The  commodore's  mistake  afforded  considerable  merri- 
ment, in  which  he  heartily  participated. 

We  halted  at  Brown's  tavern,  three  miles  from  Stuart's, 
seven  miles  from  the  great  slope,  and  seven  from  the  lake, 
Six  years  ago  Brown  gave  fourteen  shillings  per  acre  for 
this  farm.  He  says  he  would  not  sell  it  now  for  ten  dol- 
lars. 

We  travelled  ten  miles  on  the  Ridge  Road  without  seeing 
but  a  very  few  houses.  Here,  to  our  great  mortification, 
a  heavy  rain  came  on,  and  we  found  an  interruption  of 
the  road  on  the  ridge.  For  four  miles  we  travelled 
through  the  worst  road  we  ever  encountered,  it  being  off 
the  ridge,  and  about  two  miles  from  each  other  passed 
two  considerable  streams,  branches  of  the  Eighteen  Mile 
Creek.  About  a  mile  from  Forsyth's  tavern  we  regained 
the  ridge  road ;  and  just  before  we  arrived  there,  which 
was  at  two  o'clock,  the  road  from  Batavia  to  Lewiston 
joins  the  Ridge  Road,  and  from  this  place  to  the  latter  the 
travelling  is  good. 

Forsyth  keeps  a  good  house ;  we  dined  here.  He  lives 
fourteen  miles  from  Stuart's,  seven  from  the  lake,  fifteen 
from  Lewiston,  thirty-five  from  Batavia,  and  sixty-two 
and  a-half  from  the  Genesee  river.  So  that  the  Ridge 
Road,  when  completed,  which  it  is  intended  to  do,  will  be 
seventy-seven  and  a-half  miles  long.     Forsyth  gave  for 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL,  121 

his  land  twenty-two  shillings  per  acre,  five  years  ago,  and 
being  an  intelligent  man  and  an  old  settler,  was  asked 
his  opinion  as  to  the  formation  of  this  ridge.  He  is  of  the 
decided  opinion  that  it  was  the  bank  of  a  lake,  and  besides 
assigning  the  reason  before-mentioned  to  support  his  opin- 
ion, he  stated  the  following  facts  : 

1st.  That  the  fish-banks,  being  heaps  of  gravel  before- 
mentioned,  and  commonly  called  bass-banks,  are,  on  dig- 
ging, found  in  a  complete  state  at  the  foot  of  the  ridge. 

2nd.  That  all  streams  which  enter  the  lake  from  the 
east  have  their  mouths  filled  up  with  sand  in  a  particular 
way,  arising  from  the  prevalence  and  power  of  the  wes- 
terly winds,  and  that  the  points  of  the  creek  which  break 
through  this  ridge  correspond  precisely  with  the  entrance 
of  the  streams  into  the  lakes. 

The  road  from  Forsyth's  is  excellent,  and  through  a 
thick  settled  country.  We  stopped  at  Howell's  Tavern, 
ten  miles  from  Lewiston,  where  we  saw  the  Columbian. 
Land  here  sells  for  three  dollars  per  acre.  At  this  place 
we  were  told  that  in  digging  a  well  twenty-six  feet,  strata 
of  different  kinds  were  penetrated,  and  among  others,  one 
of  lake  sand  and  another  of  gravel.  In  digging  a  dam  for 
a  saw  mill,  several  lake  shells  were  found  at  the  depth  of 
four  feet.  As  shells  and  bones  are  only  preserved  in  clay 
and  are  destroyed  in  sand,  it  is  no  evidence  that  the  lake 
has  not  overflown  a  country  if  no  shells  can  be  found  in 
particular  situations. 

Lake  Ontario  (which  was  originally  called  by  the  Eng- 
lish Cadarackin),  must  have  been  dammed  up  at  its  en- 
trance, and  on  its  bursting  a  pass,  assisted  probably  by  an 
earthquake,  the  terrible  rupture  must  have  created  the 


122  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

Thousand  Isles.  The  lake  would  then  recede  from  its 
ancient  boundaries. 

After  leaving  Howell's  Tavern,  we  turned  from  the 
Ridge  Road  and  ascended  the  great  slope  which  approaches 
it  here.  The  bottom  of  it  is  composed  of  a  ledge  of  lime- 
stone, and  its  elevation  is  two  hundred  feet.  On  this  hill 
we  had  a  sublime  view  of  immense  forests  towards  the  lake, 
like  one  prodigious  carpet  of  green,  and  a  distant  glimpse 
of  the  great  expanse  of  waters. 

Three  miles  from  Lewiston  we  passed  through  a  village 
of  Tuscarora  Indians,  containing  300  souls.  Their  territo- 
ry consists  of  three  miles  square — one  given  them  by  the 
Senecas,  and  two  by  the  Holland  Company.  They  follow 
agriculture  and  keep  a  number  of  hogs  and  neat  cattle. 
They  also  plant  corn  and  cultivate  wheat,  which  looks 
poor.  I  saw  a  chief  with  a  cross  on  his  back.  When 
Jackson  was  at  Queenstown,  they  were  sent  for  to  play 
ball  for  his  amusement.  They  frequently  visit  the  British 
and  receive  presents. 

We  put  up  at  a  tavern  kept  in  Lewiston,  by  T.  Hurtler, 
an  old  sergeant  in  the  army.  The  vSurveyor  General  and 
I  slept  at  Mr.  Barton's,  one  of  the  house  of  Porter,  Barton 
&  Co.,  where  we  were  kindly  accommodated. 

Lewiston  contains  but  a  few  houses.  It  is  within  the 
State  reservation  of  a  mile,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Niagara 
reservation,  and  is  laid  out  into  a  town  by  the  State.  The 
portage  round  the  Falls  commences  here,  and  is  eight  miles 
on  the  American,  and  ten  on  the  British  side.  The  port- 
age has  been  leased  from  the  State  by  Porter,  Barton  & 
Co.,  and  the  principal  article  conveyed  is  salt ;  three  yoke 
of  oxen  can  carry  twelve  barrels  of  salt,  and  make  one 
trip  a  day.     There  are  twenty-two  teams  of  various  kinds 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  123 

employed  in  this  portage.  The  distance  from  here  to  the 
Falls  is  seven  miles ;  to  the  outlet  of  the  river  into  Lake 
Ontario,  seven  and  a  half  miles.  A  vessel  will  float  this 
distance  by  the  current  in  three  hours.  The  w^hole  length 
of  Niagara  river,  or  rather  the  distance  from  lake  to  lake, 
is  thirty  miles.  There  is  a  ferry  between  this  place  and 
Queenstown,  and  the  width  of  the  river  is  one  quarter  of 
a  mile. 

Mr.  Barton  is  building  an  elegant  stone  house,  on  a 
commanding  situation.  At  his  house  I  saw  a  large  horned 
owl,  with  the  head  like  a  cat,  and  with  talons.  He  had 
committed  great  trespasses  on  the  poultry,  biting  off  their 
heads  and  sucking  their  blood ;  he  was  shot  on  the  poultry- 
house. 

August  1st,  Wednesday.  The  brig  Ontario,  of  ninety 
tons,  belonging  to  Porter,  Barton  &  Co.,  being  on  her  way 
to  Oswego,  we  took  our  departure  in  her  about  ten  o'clock, 
on  a  visit  to  Fort  Niagara,  having  previously  apprised  the 
officers  of  the  garrison  of  our  intention.  This  is  a  hand- 
some vessel,  cost  $5,000,  can  carry  420  barrels  of  salt, 
and  is  navigated  by  a  captain  and  seven  men.  The  month- 
ly wages  of  a  sailor  is  $20.  We  saw  six  British  and 
American  vessels,  five  of  which  were  square-rigged,  as- 
cend the  river  at  the  same  time.  The  business  transacted 
here  is  principally  on  the  American  side,  and  is  the  trans- 
portation of  salt.  There  are  two  merchants  and  a  lawyer 
in  this  village ;  also  a  spacious  warehouse,  and  a  good 
wharf  belonging  to  this  company  :  the  road  to  the  wharf 
is  down  a  steep  hill,  and  is  badly  contrived,  as  only  one 
team  can  load  at  a  time.  The  color  of  the  river  is  a 
beautiful  sea-green,  and  its  depth  from  40  to  100  feet;  the 
current  descends  at  the  rate  of  three  miles  an  hour.    The 


124  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

banks  of  the  river  are  steep,  and  principally  formed  of  a 
stone,  composed  of  indurated  red  clay,  which  is  friable  on 
exposure  to  heat  or  frost.  About  two  years  ago,  the  ice 
accumulated  some  two  miles  below  Lewiston,  to  the  ele- 
vation of  seventy  feet,  from  bank  to  bank,  and  created  a 
rise  of  water  above,  which  swept  away  with  the  besom  of 
destruction  every  thing  between  the  banks  of  Lewiston 
and  Queenstown. 

We  landed  at  the  Fort  from  the  brig,  which  hauled  close 
up  to  the  dock,  and  were  received  with  a  national  salute, 
and  other  military  honors.  Capt.  Leonard  and  Dr.  West 
and  families  reside  here,  and  Lieut.  Gansevoort,  a  single 
man.  The  garrison  consists  of  an  artillery  company.  We 
dined  with  the  commanding  officer,  in  the  large  stone 
house,  which  is  105  by  47  feet.  It  is  in  itself  a  complete 
fortification — has  a  well,  prisons,  and  only  one  door.  It 
had  iron  window  shutters,  which  were  taken  away  by  the 
British,  when  they  surrendered  the  Fort,  under  Jay's 
treaty.  There  are  marks  of  shot  in  the  rafters  from  a  six- 
pounder,  and  which  were  fired  at  the  siege  under  Sir  Wm. 
Johnson.  It  is  said  that  the  French  asked  permission  of 
the  Indians  to  build  a  trading-house,  and  that  they  erected 
surreptitiously  this  work  ;  it  is  further  stated  that  the  stone 
were  brought  from  Fort  Fontenac.  Considering  the  dis- 
tance, and  the  monstrous  mass  of  stones,  one  would  think 
this  impossible.  As  the  stones  about  the  windows  are 
different,  and  more  handsome  than  those  which  compose 
the  building,  the  probability  is,  that  the  former  only  were 
brought  from  Fort  Fontenac,  and  that  the  latter  are  the 
common  stones  of  the  country.  Niagara  Fort  is  in  a 
ruinous  condition.  There  are  two  block-houses  at  the 
east  and  west  end  ;  and  an  old  stone  house,  which  was 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  125 

built  by  the  French,  constitutes  the  magazine.  The  only 
pleasant  thing  to  the  feelings  of  an  American  are  the  new 
barracks  which  are  building. 

The  bar  of  the  Niagara  River  at  its  entrance  into  the 
lake  is  twelve  feet.  From  the  north  room  in  which  we 
dined,  we  had  a  superb  view  of  the  lake.  We  understood 
here,  that  Gen.  Dearborn,  the  late  Secretary  of  War,  had 
represented  as  an  excuse  for  not  erecting  a  fort  at  Black 
Rock,  that  the  State  had  asked  twelve  dollars  per  acre  for 
the  ground — an  assertion  totally  destitute  of  truth. 

We  returned  via  Newark  in  our  carriages,  which  we 
had  sent  to  that  place  for  the  purpose.  The  river  here  is 
about  thirty  chains  wide.  It  was  formerly  the  seat  of 
government  of  Upper  Canada,  which  has  been  transferred 
to  York,  and  Newark  is  now  called  Niagara.  "  It  contains 
about  eighty  houses,  a  court-house,  and  two  churches. 

As  we  walked  through  the  town  we  saw  a  dozen  people, 
whom  we  were  told  were  the  principal  men  of  the  place, 
looking  at  us.  Some  years  ago  I  got  acquainted  with  Dr. 
Ker,  Deputy  Grand-Master  of  Upper  Canada,  whom  I 
was  told  resides  in  this  place,  and  intended  to  pay  me  par- 
ticular attention  if  he  saw  me.  The  British  fort  is  a  little 
farther  up  than  ours,  and  is  said  to  be  fourteen  feet  higher. 
Its  condition  is  not  much  superior  ;  it  is  under  the  com- 
mand of  a  Major.  Jackson  was  received  at  this  place 
with  military  honors,  and  complimented  with  a  ball. 

I  observed  an  uncommon  number  of  musquito  hawks 
flying  over  the  plains  adjacent  to  this  town  ;  they  are  cer- 
tainly different  from  whip-poor-wills.  They  were  in  pur- 
suit of  insects,  and  their  cry  was  squah,  in  a  sharp  note. 

The  road  from  Niagara  to  Queenstown  is  pleasant  and 
well-cultivated,  and  the  country  has  plenty  of  young  or- 


126  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

chards  of  apple  and  peach  trees.  I  am  told,  however,  that 
improvements  are  stationary,  and  that  the  country  does 
not  look  better  than  it  did  eleven  years  ago.  The  differ- 
ence between  the  American  and  British  side,  in  every  at- 
tribute of  individual  and  natural  improvement,  must  strike 
the  most  superficial  eye.  It  is  flattering  to  our  national 
pride,  and  to  the  cause  of  republican  government ;  indeed, 
Mr.  Morris  insinuated  that  Jackson  recognized  it  with  no 
little  spleen. 

The  politics  of  Upper  Canada  are  tempestuous.  A  great 
majority  of  the  people  prefer  the  American  government, 
and  on  the  firing  of  the  first  gun  would  unite  their  desti- 
nies with  ours.  The  Irish  and  emigrants  from  the  United 
States  are  opposed  to  the  Scotch,  who  have  monopolized 
the  government.  There  are  two  newspapers  printed  in 
the  province.  The  editor  of  one  is  an  Irishman  of  the 
name  of  Willcocks,  whose  paper  is  called  the  Guardian. 
It  is  printed  at  Niagara,  has  an  extensive  circulation  in 
Canada,  and  a  limited  one  in  this  State.  He  is  bold,  but 
not  possessed  of  great  talents.  He  leads  the  opposition, 
and  is  a  member  of  their  parliament  as  it  is  styled,  and 
has  been  prosecuted  by  the  Government.  Jackson  sent 
for  him  and  was  closeted  some  hours  with  him.  He  com- 
plains bitterly  of  the  abuses  of  government,  particularly 
in  exacting  oppressive  fees.  The  other  press  supports  the 
Government. 

Queenstown  contains  about  forty  houses.  I  saw  two 
square-rigged  vessels  taking  in  salt.  It  does  but  little 
business,  when  compared  with  its  opposite  rival.  Eigh- 
teen thousand  barrels  of  salt  were  conveyed  by  the  portage 
at  Lewiston  last  year,  and  but  four  thousand  on  this  side. 
We  crossed  the  ferry  at  Queenstown,  which  affords  a  cu- 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  127 

rious  phenomenon.  An  eddy  runs  up  on  each  side,  and 
facilitates  a  passage  against  a  very  impetuous  current  in 
the  center  of  the  river.  In  passing  the  river  here,  we  had 
a  full  view  of  the  great  ridge,  which  passes  to  the  banks 
of  the  river  on  the  American  side,  is  interrupted  by  the 
river,  and  is  renewed  on  the  British  side,  bending  off  to- 
wards the  west,  and  running  to  the  north  end  of  Lake  On- 
tario. The  large  rocks  where  the  break  of  the  great  ridge 
opens,  and  the  whole  aspect  of  the  water  and  the  sur- 
rounding country,  evidently  show  that  this  was  the  an- 
cient seat  of  the  Great  Cataract. 

We  again  availed  ourselves  of  the  hospitality  of  Mr. 
Barton. 

August  2d,  Thursday.  Messrs.  Morris  and  Van  Rens- 
selaer arrived  here  from  Chippeway,  and  after  breakfast 
at  Mr.  Barton's,  we  all  proceeded  to  a  village  near  the 
Falls  of  Niagara,  along  the  carrying  road  where  Judge 
Porter  resides. 

On  the  top  of  the  slope  at  Lewiston,  we  observed  the 
old  way  in  which  the  French  drew  up  their  goods.  A 
crane  was  fixed  on  the  hill,  and  an  inclined  plane  down 
the  descent  in  which  sleighs  were  fixed,  and  as  goods 
were  conveyed  up  in  one  sleigh,  others  were  let  down  in 
another. 

After  two  miles  we  saw  the  Devil's  Hole,  which  is  a 
monstrous  chasm  or  ravine,  close  to  the  road,  and  is  150 
feet  deep,  where  the  hill  is  upwards  of  300  feet  perpen- 
dicular above  the  center  of  the  river.  It  is  formed  by  a 
small  creek,  called  Bloody  Run,  precipitating  itself  into 
the  bank.  This  name  is  derived  from  this  circumstance : 
After  the  capture  of  Niagara  by  Sir  William  Johnson,  an 
escort  of  thirty  English  with  wagons  were  driven  down 


128  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

the  precipice  by  an  ambuscade  of  French  and  Indians, 
and  all  killed  except  two — one  who  broke  through  the 
enemy,  and  the  other  who  was  caught  by  a  tree  in  his  de- 
scent, and  although  miserably  wounded,  is  yet  alive  and 
tells  the  story. 

Two  miles  from  this  place,  we  saw,  from  Major  Bro- 
ther's house,  the  whirlpool,  which  exhibits  the  power  of 
water  in  the  most  astonishing  manner.     When  the  largest 
trees  of  the  forest  are  caught  in  the  vortex  of  this  fresh 
water  maelstrom,  such  is  the  fury  of  its  vertiginous  mo- 
tion, that  they  are  whirled  round  with  inconceivable  ve- 
locity, and  after  being  precipitated  into  the  great  abyss  of 
waters,  and  lost  to  the  eye  for  a  considerable  time,  they 
are  ejected  in  fragments  from  their  prison,  or  entirely  de- 
molished.     We  arrived  at  the  village,  one-quarter  of  a 
mile  above  the  Falls,  and  three-quarters  of  a-mile  from  Fort 
Schlosser.    It  was  established  by  Porter,  Barton  &  Co.,  and 
is  the  best  place  in  the  world  for  hydraulic  works.     Here 
is  a  carding-machine,  a  grist-mill,  a  saw-mill,  a  rope- walk,  a 
bark-mill,  a  tannery,  Post-office,  tavern,  and  a  few  houses. 
An  acre-lot  sells  for  fifty  dollars.     The  rope- walk  is  sixty 
fathoms  long  ;  is  the  only  establishment  of  the  kind  in  the 
western  country,  and  already  supplies  all  the  lake  naviga- 
tion.    The  hemp  used  in  this  manufactory  is  raised  on 
the  Genesee  Flats,  and  costs  there  from  $280  to  $300  per 
ton,  and  when  brought  here,  it  amounts  to  $380.     Tar  is 
procured  from  New  York,  there  being  no  pitch  pine  in 
this  country,  and  the  price  there  and  transportation  here 
bring  it  in  cost  to  nine  dollars.     It  constitutes  in  price  a 
twenty-fifth  part  of  the  rope. 

You  recognize,  at  a  considerable  distance,  the  Falls,  from 
the  ascent  of  vapors,  and  the  clouds  which  are  always 


'  PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  129 

hanging  over  the  place,  and  you  hear  the  roaring  of  the 
waters  hke  the  noise  of  thunder.  At  Fort  Schlosser,  up- 
wards of  two  miles  by  water  above  the  Falls,  the  river 
narrows,  and  a  Rapid  commences  of  irresistible  force  and 
immense  velocity,  and  extends  to  the  Falls.  The  noise 
and  agitation  and  fury  of  these  rapids  constitute  as  great 
a  curiosity  as  the  Cataract  itself.  An  island,  denominated 
Goat  Island  (from  the  circumstance  of  Mr.  Stedman,  the 
former  possessor  of  Fort  Schlosser,  keeping  his  goats 
there),  and  containing  about  eighty  acres,  runs  up  to  the 
Falls  and  divides  the  waters.  Here  the  whole  river  pre- 
cipitates itself  162^  feet,  according  to  the  report  of  an 
engineer,  over  a  mass  of  calcareous  stone  and  shistic. 
The  greater  part  of  the  mighty  mass  passes  over  on  the 
west  side,  and,  viewed  from  the  American  bank,  appears 
green  in  the  thickest  part  of  the  Cataract,  whereas  the 
volume  of  water  on  our  side,  when  seen  from  Table  Rock, 
looks  white,  which  is  imputable  to  its  inferior  density. 
There  are  cataracts  which  exceed  this  in  altitude,  but 
there  is  none  in  the  world  which  approaches  it  in  volume 
of  water.  The  elevation  of  the  banks  of  the  river  detracts 
greatly  from  the  sublimity  of  the  spectacle.  Below  the 
Cataract  there  are  huge  rocks,  which  have  been  torn  and 
hurled  from  their  foundations  by  the  Rapids.  Two  or 
three  years  ago,  an  immense  mass  of  the  rocky  stratum 
was  precipitated  over,  and  shook  the  country  around  like 
an  earthquake.  If  it  be  true,  as  is  suggested,  that  the 
rock  below  the  limestone  is  soft,  if  the  river  should  ever 
succeed  in  carrying  off  the  superior  stratum,  the  whole  of 
the  upper  lake  will  rush  into  Lake  Ontario,  and  deluge 
whole  counties  below.  I  felt  the  agitation  of  the  Falls  in 
slightly  shaking  Judge  Porter's  house,  after  I  had  retired 

9 


130  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

to  bed.  It  is  generally  supposed  that  every  animal  which 
passes  over  the  Falls  is  killed  ;  but  this  a  mistake.  Tame 
geese  frequently  pass  over  alive.  There  is  a  dog  at  Chip- 
peway  which  escaped  with  a  broken  rib ;  and  two  sheep 
were  once  found  below  the  Cataract,  one  of  which  was 
alive.  Fish  often  go  over  safely.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
chance  is  greatly  against  life.  Wild  geese,  fish,  deer,  and 
other  creatures  are  to  be  seen  dashed  to  pieces.  A  tragi- 
cal story  is  told  of  a  poor  Indian,  which  would  form  a 
good  subject  for  a  poem.  He  tied  his  canoe  to  the  shore 
at  Chippeway,  and  fell  asleep.  A  British  soldier,  it  is  sup- 
posed, loosened  his  fastening  and  he  floated  down.  When 
he  got  involved  in  the  great  Rapid,  he  was  awakened  by 
the  noise,  and  rising  up  and  perceiving  his  situation,  he 
tried  to  paddle  himself  out.  But  finding  his  efforts  use- 
less, he  wrapped  himself  up  in  his  blanket,  and  sat  down 
in  the  canoe,  yielding  himself  to  his  fate  with  Roman  for- 
titude. In  this  short  and  dreadful  interval  between  life 
and  death,  the  rich  fancy  of  a  poet  might  conceive  and 
delineate  the  ideas  which  passed  through  the  mind  of  the 
poor  Indian,  and  the  feelings  which  agitated  his  bosom, 
when  on  the  eve  of  his  final  separation  from  his  family 
and  sacred  home,  and  when  the  ties  which  united  him  to 
this  world  were  about  to  be  forever  dissolved. 

A  beautiful  white  substance  is  found  at  the  bottom  of 
the  Falls,  supposed  by  some  to  be  gypsum,  and  by  the  vul- 
gar to  be  a  concretion  of  foam,  generated  by  the  force  of 
the  Cataract.  But  it  is  unquestionably  part  of  the  lime- 
stone dissolved  and  reunited. 

Goat  Island  belongs  to  the  State,  and  must  be  extremely 
valuable  for  hydraulic  works.  The  general  idea  is  that  it 
would  answer  for  a  State  Prison,  being  impracticable  to 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  131 

pass  from  it.  But  this  is  a  mistake  ;  it  can  be  easily  reach- 
ed by  a  canoe  from  above.  I  saw  a  man  who  had  pota- 
toes planted  on  it,  and  who  visited  it  frequently.  Sted- 
man  used  to  ride  there  on  horseback.  The  land  is  very 
fertile.  As  well  for  its  nearness  to  the  dead  carcasses  below 
the  Falls  as  its  seclusion,  eagles  build  their  nests  on  this 
island,  which  is  covered  with  wood.  Last  autumn,  a  year, 
a  large  buck-deer  was  seen  for  two  or  three  weeks,  wad- 
ing a  short  distance  into  the  Rapids  from  this  island  and 
retreating.  He  had  probably  drifted  down  from  above, 
and  not  knowing  the  safe  passage  to  the  shore  he  no  doubt 
perished  at  the  Cataract.  After  an  elegant  dinner  we  rode 
to  Fort  Schlosser,  and  here  M.  and  V.  R.  left  us  and  pass- 
ed over  to  Chippeway.  Near  Fort  Schlosser  is  the  old 
English  landing,  and  the  fort  was  probably  made  to  pro- 
tect it.  The  French  landing  is  half  a  mile  lower  down, 
just  at  the  head  of  the  Rapids,  where  there  are  the  remains 
of  stone  buildings.  Fort  Schlosser  was  surrounded  by 
palisadoes  and  a  ditch,  and  contained  two  wooden  houses 
and  a  Block-house,  some  of  which  buildings  remain.  This 
place  is  a  little  above  Chippeway,  and  is  the  termination  of 
the  portage.  Near  it  are  the  remains  of  an  old  fort,  sup- 
posed to  be  French,  covering  half  an  acre,  with  four  bas- 
tions and  a  ditch.  Near  this  place  are  very  large  ant- 
hills. 

We  passed  the  young  gentlemen  to-day  on  their  way  to 
Lewiston  and  the  Fort,  and  returned  to  Judge  Porter's, 
where  we  slept.  This  place  is  300  miles  from  Detroit,  and 
470  from  New  York ;  90  miles  to  Presque  Isle,  and  190  to 
Pittsburgh. 

August  3c?,  Friday.  We  arrived  at  Chippeway  for 
breakfast.      The  river  here  is  two  miles  wide.      After 


132  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

breakfast  the  Commissioners  had  a  conference,  in  which 
they  directed  Mr.  Geddes  to  take  levels  and  distances  on 
a  variety  of  points,  and  adjourned  to  meet  at  the  City 
Tavern,  in  New  York,  on  the  28th  July. 

Chippevvay  is  in  the  town  of  Willoughby,  in  the  county 
of  Lincoln.  The  most  opulent  man  does  not  pay  more 
than  three  dollars  a  year  in  taxes.  Street,  the  Speaker  of 
their  Parliament,  lives  near  here,  and  migrated  from  Con- 
necticut. Chippeway  is  a  mean  village  of  twenty  houses, 
three  stofes,  two  taverns,  a  wind-mill,  and  a  distillery. 
There  are  also  barracks  here,  surrounded  by  demolished 
palisadoes,  in  which  a  lieutenant's  guard  is  stationed. 
Chippeway  creek  or  river  intersects  the  village.  The 
race  of  a  mill-dam  here  conceals  a  boiling- spring,  which 
will  boil  a  tea-kettle.  Two  or  three  miles  back  of  Queens- 
town  there  are  two  springs  a  few  yards  from  each  other — 
one  impregnated  with  sulphur,  and  the  other  with  vitriolic 
acid.  On  Lake  Erie  there  are  petrifying  waters  which 
run  into  it,  at  which  you  can  see  petrified  substances  dis- 
tinctly marked  by  the  feet  of  Indians. 

One  Stevens  keeps  a  tolerable  inn  here.  Jackson  and 
Morris  had  a  contest  in  this  house  for  rooms.  The  former 
sent  out  an  avant  courier,  who  engaged  a  room  with  two 
beds.  Morris  followed,  and  after  reconnoitering  both 
taverns,  took  a  room  in  the  rear  of  Jackson's,  to  which  he 
could  not  go  without  passing  through  Jackson's.  When 
the  parties  met,  Jackson  and  wife  remonstrated  against 
the  arrangement.  The  former  was  insolent  to  Morris 
who,  however,  soon  induced  the  Briton  to  take  refuge  in 
the  adjacent  house. 

Jackson  has  been  received  with  distinguished  attention 
in  Canada.     The  ball  at  Niagara  Avas  attended  by  forty 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  133 

girls,  collected  from  the  town  and  the  whole  adjacent 
country,  and  arrayed  in  various  fashions.  Jackson  ap- 
peared in  his  diplomatic  suit,  and  was  received  by  a  band 
of  music  playing  "  God  save  the  King."  His  lady  was 
complimented  in  a  similar  way,  and  by  the  rising  of  all 
the  company.  She  told  a  gentleman  that  she  was  well 
accommodated  here ;  that  there  was  no  Mr.  M.  here  to 
oust  them  of  their  rooms. 

Having  seen  the  Cataract  from  the  American  side,  we 
took  this  opportunity  of  viewing  it  from  the  opposite  side, 
and  we  proceeded  to  Table  Rock,  from  whence  we  had  a 
fair  view.  The  spray  of  the  waters  enveloped  us  with  a 
mist  as  penetrating  as  rain.  The  clouds  of  vapor  generat- 
ed here  must  have  a  considerable  agency  in  producing  the 
frequent  showers  which  are  experienced  in  this  country. 

I  could  not  but  observe  the  number  of  taverns  in  Cana- 
da and  the  western  country,  which  contained  emblems  of 
Free-Masonry  on  their  signs. 

Near  Chippeway,  a  house  had  a  sign  marked  small-pox, 
to  apprise  people  of  the  disease. 

One  of  the  hands  who  rowed  us  over  the  river  here  is 
named  Cowan.  Although  seventy  years  old,  he  can  now 
make  two  pair  of  shoes  a  day ;  for  each  pair  he  charges 
four  shillings.  He  has  had  two  wives ;  seven  children  by 
one  and  fourteen  by  another,  of  whom  fifteen  are  girls. 

We  returned  and  slept  at  Judge  Porter's,  where  we  also 
dined. 

The  cold  Friday  of  last  winter  was  experienced  all  over 
the  country,  and  at  Fort  Niagara  with  extreme  severity. 

We  saw  wine  and  jelly  glasses  here,  of  excellent  quahty, 
which  were  manufactured  at  Pittsburgh.  The  common 
window-glass  used  here  is  also  brought  from  that  place ; 


134  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

and  also  lead,  from  the  mines  on  the  Missouri,  which  cost 
at  Pittsburgh  eight  dollars  per  hundred  pounds,  and  in  this 
place  nine  dollars  and  a-quarter. 

Lake  Ontario  never  freezes  over,  although  Lake  Erie 
does.  The  former  is  generally  much  deeper,  although  in 
some  places  the  latter  is  sixty  fathoms  deep.  Lake  Erie 
is  230  miles  long  and  sixty  wide ;  Lake  Superior  is  300 
miles  long ;  Michigan  300 ;  Huron  200 ;  Ontario  180. 
The  smallest  of  these  lakes  is  larger  than  the  Caspian 
sea. 

August  4th,  Saturday.  After  breakfast  we  set  out 
from  Fort  Schlosser,  in  a  Durham  salt  boat,  drawing  two 
feet  water,  twenty-five  tons  burthen,  and  able  to  carry  150 
bushels  of  salt,  between  seventy  and  eighty  feet  long,  and 
seven  and  eight  feet  wide.  She  had  six  men,  who  pushed 
her  up  against  the  stream.  But  notwithstanding  she  had 
been  lightened  for  our  accommodation,  our  situation  was 
unpleasant.  The  weather  was  uncommonly  warm,  and 
the  captain  being  absent,  the  hands  were  very  noisy,  in- 
temperate, and  disorganizing.  The  current  was  some- 
times three  miles  an  hour — on  an  average,  two  and  a- 
half 

Navy  Island  is  in  view  of  Fort  Schlosser,  and  is  sup- 
posed to  be  within  the  British  dominions,  although  this  is 
not  certain.     It  contains  300  acres,  and  has  one  squatter. 

Grand  Island  is  in  our  jurisdiction,  and  contains  23,000 
acres.  The  Indian  right  is  not  extinguished,  and  the 
Indians  will  not  tolerate  any  intrusions  or  trespassers  on 
it.  It  is  full  of  deer,  owing  to  the  absence  of  wolves  and 
settlers.  It  is  about  twelve  miles  long,  and  its  greatest 
breadth  is  six  miles.     At  the  foot  of  this  island  there  are 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  135 

the  remains  of  two  French  vessels,  which  were  formerly 
burnt,  on  account  of  their  not  being  able  to  escape. 

The  jurisdictional  line  between  Great  Britain  and  the 
United  States  ought  to  have  run  through  the  center  of 
the  channels  of  the  lakes  and  ri"\^rs,  instead  of  the  center 
of  the  waters,  in  order  to  have  effectually  secured  equal 
advantages  of  navigation  to  both  nations. 

Gill  Creek  enters  the  river  on  the  left  bank,  about 
half  a-mile  above  Fort  Schlosser,  and  is  considered  as  the 
probable  place  for  the  commencement  of  a  canal.  It  has 
a  good  bay  and  landing,  is  deep,  and  about  twenty  yards 
wide.  Cayuga  Creek  enters  the  river  on  the  same  side, 
about  three  miles  higher  up. 

Tonnewanta  Island  contains  ninety  acres,  and  is  ten 
miles  from  Fort  Schlosser.  It  commences  at  the  mouth 
of  the  creek  of  that  name.  Elicott's  creek  enters  Tonne- 
wanta Creek,  about  300  yards  above  its  mouth,  and  just 
above  a  bridge  erected  by  General  Wilkinson.  There  is 
a  Rapid  sevefi  miles  from  the  mouth  of  Tonnewanta,  and 
falls  about  thirty.  To  the  Rapids  the  navigation  is  good, 
and  to  the  falls  you  may  ascend  [in  a  canoe.  Sturgeon 
weighing  eighty-two  pounds  have  been  speared  at  the 
Rapids,  where  there  are  several  good  mill  seats.  The 
country  above  them  is  a  wilderness.  The  Tonnewanta 
Reservation  is  twenty-four  miles  from  the  river,  on  this 
creek.  The  creek  has  no  bar  at  its  mouth.  This  inform- 
ation I  received  from  one  of  our  boatmen. 

We  took  a  cold  dinner  on  board.  Despairing  of  reach- 
ing Black  Rock  with  our  disorderly  fellows,  we  landed  at 
a  tavern  about  a  mile  above  Tonnewanta  Creek,  and  took 
to  our  carriages.  The  disorderly  spirit  of  our  boatmen  had 
extended  itself  to  the  driver,  and  I  had  to  silence  his  im- 


136  DE   WITT   CLINTON. 

portance.  In  a  short  time  we  passed  a  considerable 
stream ;  the  road  was  bad,  but  the  country  pleasant.  The 
meadows  on  the  river  were  fine,  and  the  land  improved 
on  both  sides,  after  you  pass  the  upper  end  of  Grand 
Island.  One  Dayton,  w^o  keeps  a  tavern  four  miles  from 
Black  Rock,  purchased  two  years  ago  eighty  acres,  at  four 
dollars  per  acre. 

I  saw  a  fish-hawk  flying  with  a  very  large  fish  in  his  ta- 
lons, and  a  strange  bird  with  a  large  head,  his  body  speckled, 
and  wings  appeared  touched  with  red  when  he  flew.  He 
was  not  quite  the  size  of  a  blue-bird. 

At  Black  Rock  we  saw  a  great  number  of  barrels  of 
salt,  and  several  square-rigged  vessels,  and  had  a  beautiful 
view  of  Lake  Erie. 

We  arrived  in  the  evening  at  Buffalo,  or  New  Amster- 
dam, and  put  up  at  Landon's  tavern,  where  we  were  in- 
differently accommodated  in  every  respect.  The  young 
gentlemen  had  preceded  us,  and  enjoyed  the  best  accom- 
modations. 

August  5th,  Sunday.  Buffalo  village  contains  from 
thirty  to  forty  houses,  the  court-house  of  Niagara  county, 
built  by  the  Holland  Land  (Company,  several  stores  and 
taverns,  and  a  Post  office.  It  is  a  place  of  great  resort. 
All  persons  that  travel  to  the  Western  States  and  Ohio, 
from  the  Eastern  States,  and  all  that  visit  the  Falls  of 
Niagara,  come  this  way.  A  half-acre  lot  sells  from  $100 
to  $250.  Buffalo  Creek  runs  in  from  the  East,  between 
the  village  and  the  lake.  It  is  a  deep  stream,  about  ten 
rods  wide,  and  has  a  large  bar  at  its  mouth.  It  is  navi- 
gable about  five  miles. 

Large  oil  stones  are  found  at  the  Indian  saw  mill, 
twelve  miles  up  the  Buffalo  Creek,  strongly  impregnated 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  137 

with  Seneca  oil ;  also  large  petrified  clam  shells,  on  the 
eighteen  mile  creek.  There  are  five  lawyers  and  no 
church  in  this  village. 

The  great  desideratum  in  the  land  of  the  Holland  Com- 
pany, is  the  want  of  water.  We  saw  on  the  ridge  several 
dry  mills.  Windmills  must  be  used  for  grain.  The 
population  of  their  lands  has  doubled  in  a  year. 

The  chief  seat  of  the  Seneca's  is  about  four  miles  from 
Buffalo. 

Lake  Erie  abounds  with  excellent  and  various  fish : 

1 .  White  Fish. — The  head  and  mouth  exactly  like  our 
shad,  and  so  is  the  fish  generally.     It  is  superior  in  flavor. 

2.  Herring. — Thicker  through  the  body,  and  nearly  the 
same  length  as  those  on  the  sea-coast.  Much  like  the 
Nova  Scotia  herring. 

3.  Sheep's  Head. — Like  ours,  but  no  teeth  ;  a  hard,  dry 
fish. 

4.  Black  or  Oswego  Bass. — Like  our  black  fish.  Bass 
is  a  Dutch  word,  and  signifies  perch. 

5.  Rock  Bass. — Like  our  sea  bass. 

6.  White  Bass. — In  shape  like  our  white  perch,  but 
rather  longer.  The  tail  resembles  that  of  the  streaked 
bass,  and  it  has  stripes  on  its  sides. 

7.  Sturgeon,  is  the  largest  fish  in  the  lake.  They  have 
no  dorsal  fin,  and  are  not  so  large  as  those  in  the  Hudson. 
In  respect  to  shape  they  are  similar,  and  have  the  same 
habit  of  vaulting. 

At  the  time  the  French  possessed  Niagara,  the  commander 
of  that  fort  took  four  live  sturgeon  from  Ontario  Lake,  and 
put  them  in  lake  Erie.  Lake  Erie  before  had  none  ;  now 
it  and  all  the  upper  lakes  have  plenty  of  them.     This  was 


138  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

told  ^Mr.  Wigton  by  the  captain  of  a  sloop  that  sails  on 
lake  Erie. 

8.  Sunfish. 

9.  Muscalunga,  or  pickerel ;  a  fine  fish. 

10.  Pike. 

11.  Very  large  snapping  turtle. 

No  shad  go  up  the  Mississippi.  Now  and  then  a  meagre 
herring  is  caught  at  Pittsburgh,  which  has  struggled  2,200 
miles  against  a  strong  current.  The  streaked  bass  or  rock 
fish  go  above  Albany  after  the  sturgeon's  spawn,  and  sub- 
sist principally  on  it.  The  superior  flavor  and  excellence 
of  Atlantic  sheeps-head  may  be  owing  to  its  delicious  food 
of  clams  and  muscles,  on  the  coast.  The  sturgeon  of  the 
lake  have  no  scales. 

At  the  Niagara  Falls,  eels  have  ascended  the  rocks 
forty  or  fifty  feet,  but  cannot  get  up,  and  are  not  to  be 
found  above,  or  in  lake  Erie.  Eels  have  communication 
with  the  sea,  and  perhaps  generate  there.  In  a  pond  above 
the  Passaic  Falls,  no  eels  have  been  seen  until  within  a 
few  years,  and  they  have  found  a  communication  round 
the  Falls.  In  the  fall,  eel-weirs  are  placed  with  their  mouths 
up  against  the  current,  and  in  the  spring,  the  reverse.  In 
the  f^ll  they  go  to  the  sea,  and  in  the  spring  return.  The 
only  small  fish  in  lake  Erie,  are  the  muscle  and  cray  fish. 
Dr.  Mitchell's  notice,  that  sea-fish,  such  as  sturgeon,  are 
shut  by  the  falls  from  the  ocean,  and  have  become  natu- 
ralized to  fresh  water,  is  ridiculous  ; 

1.  They  can  escape  by  vaulting  over  the  falls. 

2.  By  the  Illinois  in  the  spring,  down  the  Mississippi. 

3.  The  above  story  explains  how  they  came  into  the 
lake. 

We  rode  on  the  beach  of  the  lake,  from   Buffalo   to 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  139 

Black  Rock.  There  is  an  upper  and  a  lower  landing 
here,  about  a  mile  apart.  At  the  latter  is  the  village,  the 
ground  of  which  belongs  to  the  State ;  and  it  has  been 
laid  out  in  lots,  which  have  not  been  as  yet  sold.  A  ferry 
and  tavern  are  kept  at  the  upper  landing,  by  F.  Miller,  and 
a  store  by  Porter,  Bartow  &  Co. 

Bird  Island  is  a  mile  above  the  upper  landing ;  the  chan-  ' 

nel  runs  on  each  side  of  it ;  it  derives  its  name  from  the 
number  of  birds  which  formerly  crowded  on  it.  It  is 
nothing  but  a  collection  of  large  calcarious  and  silicious  : 

rocks.     A  store  built  on  it  by  Porter,  Bartow  &  Co.,  was  ! 

swept  off  by  the  ice.  A  block  has  been  sunk  here  by  them, 
on  the  North  side  of  the  island,  (by  which  it  is  protected 
from  the  ice),  to  receive  and  lade  vessels,  and  it  will  an-  \ 

swer  for  any  burthen.     It  cost  $2,000,     Vessels  can  come  \ 

up  the  Rapids  to  it,  with  100  barrels  of  salt,  but  have  to 
leave  the  remainder  of  their  lading  for  another  trip.  A 
vessel  with  salt  can  push  up  against  the  current,  from 
Fort  Schlosser  to  Black  Rock,  twenty  miles,  in  one  day. 
To  remedy  the  communication  here,  it  is  proposed  to  cut  ; 

a  canal  round  the  Rapids,  from  Bird  Island  to  the  lower 
landing.  ,Mr.  Geddes  says  that  the  Rapid  in  one  place  here 
is  six  and  three  quarters  miles  an  hour,  as  tested  by  actual  ' 

observation.     In  one  place  it  is  five  miles  ;  and  the  boat-  i 

men  say  in  one  place  seven  miles,  and  that  the  general  ] 

current  is  three  miles  per  hour.  J 

Lake  Erie  is  four  feet  seven  inches  above  the  level  of  ! 

Niagara  River,  below  these  Rapids. 

The  following  statement  was  furnished  to  me  by  Judge 
Porter ;  , 

The  price  of  transporting  a  barrel  of  salt  from  Oswego 


140  DE    WITT    CLINTON.  n 

to  Lewiston  is  five  shillings,  payable  in  salt  at  Oswego,  at 
twenty-four  shillings  per  barrel. 

From  Lewiston  to  Black  Rock,  six  shillings  per  barrel, 
payable  in  salt  at  Black  Rock,  at  forty-eight  shillings  per 
barrel. 

From  Presque  Isle  to  Pittsburgh,  fourteen  shillings,  paya- 
ble in  salt  at  Presque  Isle,  at  fifty-four  shillings  per  barrel. 

The  following  are  the  cash  prices  of  salt  at  the  above 
places  :  At  Osw^ego  $2  50  ;  Lewiston,  $3  50 ;  Black  Rock, 
$4  50 ;  Presquille,  $5  50,  per  barrel. 

Seneca  grass  growls  near  Buffalo  Creek,  and  is  sold  by 
the  Indians  in  small  bunches.  It  is  fragrant,  and  useful  as 
the  bean  in  perfuming  segars. 

The  Commissioners  gave  the  name  of  Grand  Niagara 
to  the  village  where  Judge  Porter  resides.  Grand  is  pre- 
fixed, to  distinguish  it  from  British  Niagara,  and  the  Ameri- 
can fort,  and  on  account  of  its  vicinity  to  the  Falls. 

We  visited  the  Adams,  a  brig  of  150  tons  and  four  guns, 
belonging  to  the  United  States,  commanded  by  Commo- 
dore Brevoort,  who  appears  to  be  a  worthy  officer.  This 
is  the  only  vessel  we  have  on  the  lakes,  and  she  is  em- 
ployed in  transporting  military  stores.  She  can  make  a 
voyage  to  Fort  Dearborn,  upwards  of  1000  miles,  on  lake 
Michigan,  and  return,  in  two  months.  The  British  have 
two  armed  vessels  on  this  lake,  one  pierced  for  sixteen, 
and  the  other  for  tw^elve  guns,  and  a  fort  to  the  south-west 
of  Black  Rock,  called  Fort  Erie,  and  garrisoned  by  a 
Lieutenant  and  twenty  men. 

Commodore  Brevoort  says  that  vessels  drawing  seven 
feet  w^ater,  can  at  some  seasons  go  from  Fort  Dearborn  or 
Chaquagy,  (Chicago)  up  a  creek  of  that  name,  and  to  the  Illi- 
nois River,  whose  waters  in  freshets  meet,  and  so  down  the 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  141 

Mississippi ;  he  thinks  he  can  effect  it  in  his  brig,  which 
draws  but  six  feet  when  lightened.  A  brig  of  150  tons, 
sailing  from  Black  Rock  to  Hudson,  would  seem  incredible. 

On  a  commanding  eminence  at.  Black  Rock,  Gen. 
Wilkinson  has  designated  a  proper  site  for  a  fort. 

Black  Rock  was  crowded  to-day  with  people  from  all 
quarters ;  it  looked  like  an  assembly  for  divine  service. 
We  saw  Erastus  Granger,  Le  Latteaux,  a  French  gentle- 
man, Andross,  and  others,  and  dined  at  Miller's  tavern, 
whose  sign  is  surmounted  with  masonic  emblems.  Here 
we  left  Mr.  Geddes  to  commence  his  surveys,  and  parted 
from  Col.  Porter  with  great  regret,  who,  on  every  occa- 
sion, exhibited  himself  in  an  amiable  and  respectable  man- 
ner, and  whose  countenance  brightened  with  a  benignant 
smile,  whenever  he  could  contribute  to  our  comfort  or 
pleasure.  We  left  the  young  gentlemen  here,  to  follow, 
and  after  dinner  proceeded,  with  our  two  carriages,  three 
servants,  and  baggage-wagon,  eight  miles,  to  Ransom's 
tavern,  in  the  town  of  Buffalo,  where  we  lodged,  and 
which  is  a  bad  house.  Three  miles  from  Black  Rock, 
there  is  a  manufactory  of  red  earthen  ware.  The  coun- 
try is  well  cultivated  and  settled. 

August  6th,  Monday — We  departed  from  Ransom's  at 
half-past  five.  Seven  years  ago  he  purchased  this  farm  of 
330  acres,  at  $3  50  an  acre,  amounting  to  $1,113  ;  and 
last  May  he  sold  it  for  $5,650,  being  about  $17  an  acre. 
It  has  300  fruit  trees,  110  cleared  acres,  good  out-build- 
ings, and  a  small  frame  house.  Land  produces  twenty 
bushels  of  wheat  to  an  acre.  The  general  price  is  eight 
shillings  per  bushel ;  now  it  sells  for  twelve  shillings  at  the 
door.     This  is  owing  to  the  great  influx  of  settlers. 

We  observed  from  here  to  Vandewater's,  uniform  oak 


142  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

plains,  without  any  underwood,  only  one  hill  and  one  mill 
creek,  called  the  Eleven  Mile  Creek.  It  is  a  lime-stone 
country. 

Six  miles  at  Harris'  tavern,  we  observed  a  considerable 
collection  of  people.  A  rrian  of  the  name  of  Woodward 
was  under  examination  on  a  charge  of  rape,  committed 
on  his  wife's  daughter,  a  girl  of  sixteen.  The  crime  was 
twice  perpetrated,  and  the  mother  connived  at  it,  as  was 
alleged. 

We  passed  a  store  with  three  inscriptions  on  its  sign,  in 
English,  French,  and  German.  Store,  in  English  ;  Bou- 
tique, in  French.  This  indicates  the  settlers  in  its  vicinity. 
We  breakfasted  at  Vandewater's  tavern,  in  the  town  of 
Clarence,  fourteen  miles  from  Ransom's,  after  a  ride  of 
three  hours. 

Vandewater  gave  twenty -two  shillings  an  acre,  for  400 
or  500  acres,  seven  or  eight  years  ago ;  he  now  says  it  is 
worth  820  per  acre.     He  has  a  tolerable  frame  house. 

Two  hundred  yards  south  of  his  house,  is  a  slope,  or  per- 
pendicular descent,  which  he  says  extends  from  the  Genesee 
River  to  Black  Rock.  Between  it  and  the  stone  ridge  or 
slope,  which  runs  from  the  Genesee  River  to  Lewiston, 
there  is  an  immense  valley,  twenty  miles  across,  called 
Tonnewanta  Valley.  The  precipice  at  this  slope  is  from 
100  to  200  feet,  composed  principally  of  lime-stone  and 
flint,  combined  like  those  on  Bird  Island,  and  bearing 
every  mark  of  the  lashing  and  wearing  of  the  waves ; 
the  rocks  are,  indeed,  scooped  and  hollowed  out  by  water. 
On  digging  a  cellar  here,  a  great  stratum  of  lake  sand, 
and  another  of  gravel,  were  found.  The  opinion  here  is, 
that  Lake  Erie  formerly  covered  the  Tonnewanta  Valley, 
forming  an  immense  bay,  when  the  Niagara  Falls  were  at 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  143 

Queenstown ;  and  that  on  the  receding  of  the  cascade.. 
Lake  Erie  receded  from  the  valley,  leaving  the  Tonnewanta 
Creek ;  and  perhaps  the  stone  ridge  was  the  boundary  be- 
tween Lakes  Erie  and  Ontario.  Some  suppose  that  Lake 
Erie  formerly  discharged  itself  by  the  Tonnewanta  Valley 
into  the  Genesee  River. 

Between  the  house  and  the  slope  we  collected  some 
fossil  shells  and  petrifactions,  which  are  not  to  be  found  in 
the  lakes,  as  well  as  of  snakes  and  horns,  imbedded  in 
lime-stone.  We  also  saw  flint  or  silex,  in  calcareous  or 
lime-stone,  as  at  Bird  Island.  The  same  appearances  exist 
at  Cherry  Valley,  which  country,  like  this,  experiences  a 
dearth  of  water.  In  the  village  of  Buffalo,  the  whole  vil- 
lage is  supplied  by  hogsheads  from  a  great  spring,  as  tea 
water  was  formerly  distributed  from  New  York. 

Vandewater  supposes  that  the  canal  from  Lake  Erie 
ought  to  be  on  the  south  side  of  this  precipice,  not  on  the 
north  side  by  the  Tonnewanta  Creek.  Lobelia  cardinalis, 
the  cardinal  flower,  grows  in  marshy  ground,  a  beautiful 
scarlet  flower,  on  a  plant  about  two  feet  high,  the  flower 
on  the  top  of  a  conical  form. 

The  road  from  here  to  Batavia,  eighteen  miles,  is  bad ; 
it  runs  through  swampy  ground,  and  is  sand  with  bogs.  A 
dead  level  country,  stagnant  water,  no  appearance  of 
stone,  and  every  indication  of  an  alluvial  country.  There 
is  no  free  circulation  of  air,  and  the  country  must  be  in- 
salubrious, although  at  Richardson's  tavern,  seven  miles 
from  Vandewater's,  where  we  stopped  to  bait,  they  say 
they  have  lived  in  good  health  for  five  years.  The  country 
abounds  with  meadow  larks,  robins,  blue  jays,  and  various 
kinds  of  woodpeckers. 

Five  miles  from  Vandewater's  we  crossed  Murder  or 


144  HE    WITT    CLINTON. 

Sulphur  Creek,  a  small  stream  with  a  saw-mill.  It  is  so 
called  from  sulphur  springs,  and  from  the  circumstance  of 
a  crazy  man,  who  had  gone  from  the  United  States  to 
Canada,  being  sent  back  under  the  care  of  some  Indians, 
who  tomahawked  him  here  in  his  crazy  fits.  The  county 
line  of  Genesee  commences  three  miles  west  of  Genesee. 
Richardson  lives  in  the  town  of  Batavia. 

We  arrived  at  Batavia  about  six  o'clock,  eleven  miles 
from  Richardson's,  having  traveled  thirty-two  miles  to- 
day. We  put  up  at  Keyes'  tavern,  a  good  house,  and  in 
the  evening  we  were  visited  by  Joseph  Ellicott,  Stevens, 
Brisban,  Col.  Rumsey,  and  Judge  Jones. 

The  latitude  of  Batavia  is  43°  north.  It  contains  a 
Court-house,  built  by  the  Holland  Land  Company  for 
$10,000  ;  a  Post-office,  and  fifty  houses,  and  several  stores 
and  taverns.  A  republican  newspaper,  called  the  Cornu- 
copia, is  published  here.  Tonnewanta  Creek  runs  in  front 
of  the  town,  and  has  on  its  waters  an  excellent  grist  and 
saw-mill.  We  crossed  this  stream  by  a  bridge,  four  miles 
back.  It  is  a  considerable  turn,  and  as  wide  as  Canandai- 
gua  outlet,  at  its  confluence  with  Mud  Creek.  The  office 
of  the  Holland  Land  Company  is  kept  here,  and  three 
attornies  already  occupy  this  village.  The  situation  of 
this  village,  with  a  mill  dam  in  front,  and  surrounded  by 
marshes,  must  be  unhealthy,  although  the  inhabitants  deny 
the  fact.  This  is  invariably  the  case ;  the  commodore 
asked  an  old  woman  on  the  miasmatic  banks  of  the  Seneca 
River,  whether  the  place  was  healthy.  "  Very  much  so," 
says  she,  "  we  have  only  a  disease  called  typhus." 

The  ridge,  properly  speaking,  is  the  ground  where  the 
Ridge  Road  runs.  The  elevation  back  of  it,  and  the  ele- 
vation north  of  Vandevvater's,  are  not  ridges,  but  slopes, 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  145 

because  Mr.  Ellicott  says  there  is  a  descent  only  on  one 
side.  But  a  slope  contains  a  gradual  descent  like  an  in- 
clined plane,  and  here  the  descent  is  perpendicular,  and 
precipitous  in  many  places.  The  face  of  the  country  is 
a  flat  plain,  and  when  you  descend  from  the  slope  or  ridge 
at  Vandewater's  you  stand  on  another  plain,  which  runs 
across  the  Tonnewanta  Valley,  until  you  come  to  the  ridge 
or  slope  back  of  the  Ridge  Road ;  and  then  you  again  de- 
scend on  a  plain,  until  you  come  to  the  ridge  on  which  the 
ground  is  inclined  greatly  to  Lake  Ontario.  The  level  coun- 
try is  the  cause  of  the  scarcity  of  water,  together  with  the 
great  quantity  of  calcareous  stone,  the  fissures  of  which 
absorb  the  water.  Mr.  Ellicott  says  that  the  Oak  Orchard 
Creek  is  the  most  considerable  stream  in  the  country.  The 
upper  slope  that  passes  by  Vandewater's  tavern,  forms 
the  falls  of  the  Genesee  River.  (See  its  course  traced  on 
the  map  by  Benjamin  Ellicott.)  The  distance  between 
the  slopes  varies  from  12  to  20  miles.  North  of  the  Ridge 
Road,  he  says,  there  are  no  fortifications ;  between  it  and 
the  lower  slope  there  are  several,  and  in  other  parts  of  the 
country  they  are  numerous.  Two  important  inferences 
may  be  drawn  from  this  striking  fact : — 

1.  That  the  ridge  was  the  ancient  boundary  of  Lake 
Ontario. 

2.  The  great  antiquity  of  the  fortifications.  They  must 
have  been  erected  before  the  retreat  of  the  Lake. 

The  outlet  of  Lake  Ontario  ought  to  be  examined,  in 
order  to  ascertain  the  breaking  of  the  watei's  by  the  St. 
Lawrence.  The  Thousand  Islands  there  must  have  been 
then  formed.  The  bay  of  Lake  Erie  which  run  up  into 
the  Tonnewanta  Valley,  covered,  of  course,  the  country 
between  the  slopes,  and  formed  the  Genesee  Flats. 

10 


146  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

As  the  antiquity  and  great  population  of  the  Aborigines 
are  undoubted,  Gen.  North  inquires  whether  the  sudden 
retreat  of  the  lakes  may  not  have  produced  a  wide-spread- 
ing pestilence,  which  may  have  depopulated  this  country. 

If,  as  Volney  fancifully  suggests,  Lake  Ontario  was  the 
crater  of  a  volcano,  all  these  speculations  are  visionary ; 
but  they  are  probably  better  founded  than  his.  I  saw  no 
traces  of  basalt  on  the  borders  of  the  lake — nothing  to  in- 
dicate the  existence  of  a  volcano. 

In  the  tavern  there  was  an  advertisement  of  William 
Wadsworth,  dated  Geneseo.  He  proposes  to  let  out  half- 
blooded  merino  rams,  to  be  delivered  on  the  first  of  Sep- 
tember, each  ram  to  be  put  to  fifty  ewes,  and  no  more, 
before  the  1st  of  October,  and  to  be  returned  on  the  1st 
of  June,  unsheared.  All  the  ram  progeny  to  be  returned, 
and  he  is  to  have  all  the  ewe  lambs  except  two  (from  each 
ram),  for  each  of  which  he  is  to  pay  eight  shillings  cash, 
on  the  1st  September,  1811.  He  charges  nothing  for  the 
use  of  the  rams. 

Atigust  1th.  After  breakfast  we  visited  Mr.  Ellicott, 
who  keeps  the  office  of  the  Holland  Land  Company.  He 
has  five  clerks,  a  salary  of  $2,000,  and  a  commission  of 
five  per  cent,  on  his  sales.  The  management  and  method 
of  his  office  are  admirable.  He  has  a  large  map  in  which 
is  laid  down  every  lot,  and  a  memorandum  book  giving 
the  character  and  value  of  it,  to  which  he  can  refer  in- 
stantly. The  whole  bespeaks  great  intelligence  and  ta- 
lents for  business.  The  sales  of  the  Company  are  made 
by  contracts  only,  on  credit  of  ten  years, — two  without 
interest. 

In  Ellicott's  garden  there  grew  capers  and  cammomile, 
and  the  largest  poppies  I  ever  saw.     We  examined,  at  his 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  l47 

house,  a  clock  made  by  his  father,  Joseph  Elh'cott,  a  self- 
taught  man,  who  was  brought  up  a  mill-wright.  On  one 
side  was  a  clock  which  designated  the  second,  the  minute, 
the  day,  the  month,  and  the  year.  On  another  an  orrery, 
working  out  the  revolutions  of  the  planets  and  their  satel- 
lites. On  another  a  musical  machinery,  which  can  play 
twenty-four  tunes.  The  mechanical  execution  was  ad- 
mirable, and  so  also  were  the  mahogany  case  and  the  paint- 
ing of  the  faces  of  the  machine,  and  strange  to  tell,  they 
were  both  made  by  persons  who  took  up  the  business 
without  any  previous  instruction. 

The  Court-house  erected  by  the  Company  is,  perhaps, 
the  best  in  the  Western  District.  The  Court-room  has  a 
gallery  for  the  audience,  and  the  building  also  contains  an 
hotel. 

A  quarter  of  an  acre  lot  in  the  best  part  of  the  village 
sells  for  $160,  and  lots  of  forty  acres,  in  more  retired 
parts,  for  #600. 

Who  has  the  preemptive  right  to  the  Indian  reserva- 
tions in  the  Holland  Land  Company's  territories  ?  Mr. 
Ellicott  says  the  Company,  not  the  State. 

Six  miles  from  Batavia  we  stopped  to  water  at  Chequa- 
ga  Creek,  at  Marvin's  tavern. 

Eleven  miles  from  Batavia  we  passed  Allen's  Creek,  a 
considerable  stream,  which  runs  into  the  Genesee  River  ; 
on  it  are  mills.  In  the  bottom  of  this  stream  is  found  a 
black  inflammable  stone,  of  which  I  have  specimen.  Is 
this  black  stone  connected  with  a  coal  mine  ?  Is  it  not 
schistic  or  slate  ? 

We  took  a  collation  at  Ganson's  tavern,  twelve  miles 
from  Batavia,  in  the  town  of  Caledonia,  which  is  divided 
from  Batavia  by  the  transit  line,  which  runs  a  little  to  the 


148  UE    WITT    CLINTON. 

east  of  Marvin's  tavern.     The  roads  so  far,  except  four 
miles,  are  good,  and  the  country  well  settled. 

The  usual  passage  of  small  fish  is  down  a  river  to  the 
sea.  Young  eels  are  seen  at  Albany  going  up  the  river  in 
swarms.  Probably  they  are  produced  in  the  ocean.  They 
have  no  visible  organs  of  generation,  nor  has  their  spawn  I 
ever  been  observed.  Why  are  there  not  eels  in  Lake 
Erie  ?  If  they  cannot  ascend  the  Falls,  cannot  they  get 
into  the  lakes  by  the  Illinois  River  and  Chequaga  Creek  ? 
Are  they  ever  seen  at  the  head  of  those  streams  ? 

At  Cameron's  tavern,  five  miles  east  from  Ganson's,  we 
saw  perennial  springs,  which  rise  out  of  the  ground  and 
immediately  fill  a  mill  pond. 

Pedlars  from  Connecticut  sell  wooden  clocks  all  over 
this  country,  for  $20,  and  they  answer  very  well.  We 
met  tin  pedlars  in  all  directions,  dickering  (a  Yankee  word 
for  barter)  for  feathers. 

Brom  Buffalo  Creek  eastward,  we  perceived  streaks  of 
corn-fields  on  the  low  land  blighted  by  the  frost  of  the 
18th  of  July.     The  high  grounds  escaped. 

On  the  west  side  of  the  Genesee  River  there  is  an  ex- 
tensive oak  forest,  with  no  underwood,  but  various  shrub- 
bery, and  on  the  Genesee  Flats  the  prairies  or  savannah 
appear.  Within  two  miles  of  this  river,  on  the  west  side, 
the  country  from  being  an  apparent  flat  level,  descends 
towards  the  river,  and  from  Avon  you  can  see  the  upper 
slope  running  up  and  down  the  west  side  of  the  river. 

We  crossed  a  bridge  over  this  river.  It  contains  but  a 
small  body  of  water,  about  two  feet  deep.  The  banks  are 
fifty  feet  high.  Sullivan  proceeded  with  his  army  as  far 
this  river.     As  you  approach  the  bridge  you  pass  the 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  149 

Caughnawaga  reservation,  a  mile  square.  The  land  is 
fine,  and  it  was  filled  with  horses,  neat  cattle,  and  hogs. 

We  slept  at  Avon,  on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  in  On- 
tario County,  at  Maria  Berry's  tavern,  a  good  house.  This 
place  is  laid  out  for  a  village,  by  Mr.  James  Wads  worth. 
He  sells  his  lots  for  $50  an  acre.    It  contains  a  few  houses. 

We  got  a  young  Indian  here  to  shoot  at  a  silver  piece, 
by  blowing  through  a  reed  of  six  feet  long,  a  small  arrow 
surmounted  with  hair.  He  hit  the  mark  with  great  ex- 
actness, ten  paces,  and  in  this  way  they  kill  small  birds. 

August  8th.  We  set  out  at  six,  and  breakfasted  at 
Frost's  (formerly  Warner's)  tavern,  in  Lima,  eight  miles 
from  Avon.  At  this  place  there  is  a  Post-office,  store,  and 
two  or  three  houses. 

The  country  has  departed  from  the  flat  level  on  the 
west  side ;  is  better  watered,  and  is  varied  by  hill  and  dale 
— fertile  and  populous. 

The  highest  falls  of  the  Genesee  river  ought  to  be  seen 
(and  they  were  out  of  our  course),  in  order  to  have  a  just 
idea  of  the  great  ridge  or  slope. 

Frost  had  reaped  thirty  acres  of  wheat,  so  extraordi- 
narily productive,  that  he  estimates  it  at  forty  bushels  an 
acre.  But  he  says,  that  in  consequence  of  the  heavy  rains 
after  it  was  cut,  and  before  it  was  gathered,  it  had  grown 
in  the  sheaf,  and  cannot  be  manufactured  into  flour,  but 
that  he  can  make  more  of  it  by  converting  it  into  whiskey. 
He  rents  seventy  acres  of  Warner's  farm,  (which  consists 
of  400)  and  the  tavern,  for  $300  a-year. 

Two  miles  from  here  to  Honeyoe  Creek,  a  handsome 
stream  which  proceeds  from  the  lake  of  that  name,  and 
four  miles  farther,  we  entered  West  Bloomfield,  which 
contains  a  brick  Presbyterian  church,  post-office,  stores, 


150  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

and  several  houses.  General  Hull  resides  here,  in  an 
humble  house,  and  since  he  has  become  a  member  of  the 
Council  of  Appointment,  has  abandoned  tavern-keeping. 

From  the  high  hills  here,  ranges  of  high  land  are  to  be 
seen,  running  south  and  south-east  at  the  distance  of  ten 
miles,  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  forming  spurs  of  the 
Alleghany  mountains,  from  whence  proceed,  in  opposite 
directions,  the  Genesee,  Tioga,  and  Alleghany  rivers ; 
probably  the  upper  slope  or  ridge  territories  in  these 
high  lands. 

Bloomfield  is  a  succession  of  hills  and  valleys,  and  is  a 
populous  and  fertile  country. 

In  East  Bloomfield  there  is  a  handsome  frame  Presby- 
terian church,  with  a  high  steeple,  and  surrounded  by 
sheds,  for  the  accommodation  of  horses  and  carriages  ; 
also  a  Post-office,  stores,  and  a  few  houses.  This  fertile 
conntry  is  stored  with  fruit  trees. 

Five  miles  from  Canandaigua  we  passed  Mud  Creek,  a 
low,  small  stream. 

We  arrived  in  that  village  between  one  and  two,  where 
we  found  the  young  gentlemen,  Rees,  the  Sheriff,  Bates, 
and  Spencer.     We  dined  here. 

One  mile  south  of  Canandaigua,  on  a  hill,  there  is  a  fort, 
larger  than  the  one  before  described.  Twenty  or  thirty 
rods  from  it  there  is  a  burying  ground,  where,  for 
the  sake  of  the  things  found,  great  numbers  of  graves 
have  been  dug  up,  and  gun  barrels,  copper  kettles,  and 
wampum  found. 

Morris  gave  $150  here  for  a  horse,  seeing  him  acci- 
dentally as  he  rode  along,  for  which  the  proprietor  would 
willingly   have   taken   $70.      This  affair  made   a    great 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  151 

noise  here,  and  the  dealers  in  horses  declare  that  he  has 
ruined  the  market. 

After  the  commodore  had  hired  and  dismissed  two 
wagons,  in  order  to  carry  us  to  Geneva,  and  after  a  scene 
of  great  confusion  we  left  Canandaigua  in  an  extra  stage, 
two  servants  coming  on  in  a  baggage  wagon  (one  being 
dismissed  here),  and  the  young  gentlemen  to  join  us  in  the 
moniing.  We  traveled  on  the  Seneca  turnpike,  which 
extends  from  this  place  to  Utica,  112  miles ;  and  then  the 
Mohawk  and  Schenectady  turnpike  extends  ninety-six 
miles  to  Albany.  A  great  concourse  of  travellers  on  this 
road. 

The  distance  from  Canandaigua  to  Geneva  is  sixteen 
miles.  Half  way  we  passed  over  Flint  Creek,  a  fine 
stream  that  empties  into  Canandaigua  outlet,  as  all  creeks 
or  rivers  proceeding  from  lakes  are  denominated  in  this 
country. 

We  arrived  at  Geneva  in  the  evening,  where  we 
supped  and  slept.  The  house  was  full,  and  a  dancing 
school  was  at  work.  We,  however,  made  out  as  well  as 
we  had  a  right  to  expect.  The  inns  at  such  a  place  as 
this  will  always  be  crowded  at  this  season.  A  tour  to 
Niagara,  like  one  to  Ballston  Spa,  is  now  common,  and 
considered  a  mere  pleasurable  excursion. 

August  9th.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Chapman  called  on  me 
with  a  subscription  for  the  Presbyterian  church,  erecting 
here.  I  subscribed  $20.  I  also  purchased  a  pamphlet 
relative  to  Jemima  Wilkinson,  and  one  describing  this 
country,  by  Mr.  Munn. 

A  glass  manufactory  is  erecting  about  two  miles  from 
this  village.  It  was  incorporated  last  winter,  and  a  little 
village  is  already  rising  up  around  it. 


152  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

Here  we  separated.  North  and  S.  Osgood  were  to  pro- 
ceed in  the  stage  to-morrow.  The  commodore  and  son 
were  to  join  us  at  Auburn,  and  Mr.  De  Witt,  myself, 
and  a  servant  set  out  after  dinner,  at  three  o'clock,  with  a 
view  of  going  to  the  head  of  the  lakes,  passing  Ithaca,  and 
returning  on  the  east  side  of  the  Cayuga  Lake  to  Auburn, 
to  which  place  we  sent  the  heavy  baggage  wagon,  under 
the  care  of  a  servant.  We  proceeded  fourteen  miles  to 
John  Dey's,  in  Apple  Town,  where  we  lodged,  and  were 
hospitably  received. 

Our  road  lay  between  the  lakes  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Seneca  Lake,  which  runs  north  and  south,  and  much  re- 
sembles the  Hudson  in  its  appearance.  Its  Indian  name 
was  Canadisaga,  a  beautiful  name,  which  it  ought  to  have 
retained. 

Sullivan's  army,  after  defeating  the  Indians  at  New- 
town who  were  2,500  strong,  one  section  of  it  having 
formed  a  junction  with  the  main  body  by  the  damming 
of  the  Otsego  Lake,  passed  through  the  country  between 
the  lakes.  The  marks  of  an  old  road  are  still  to  be  seen 
at  Apple  Town  ;  pack  horses  and  light  field  pieces  were 
all  that  were  brought,  and  no  wagons  were  used.  The 
first  traces  of  white  clover  in  this  country  were  exhibited 
on  this  road,  which  shows  that  it  does  not  grow  naturally, 
but  was  introduced  by  the  pack  horses.  There  was  a 
great  village  of  the  Senecas  at  Apple  Town,  named  Cona- 
dagh.  Here  was  an  Indian  orchard,  which  was  cut  down 
by  Sullivan.  This  has  eventually  turned  out  for  the 
benefit  of  the  orchard.  Those  cut  down  have  grown  up 
and  make  a  fine  orchard  of  eighty  trees,  while  those  that 
were  passed  over  are  antiquated  and  good  for  nothing. 
They  generally  grow  irregularly.     In  one  place,  on  a  hill, 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  153 

they  appear  as  if  regularly  planted  out.  The  Indians  had 
plenty  of  peach  trees.  Great  heaps  of  the  stones  have 
been  found,  the  shell  in  good  condition,  but  the  nucleus 
dead.  Sullivan's  army  also  destroyed  an  Indian  village,  a 
mile  or  two  from  Geneva  and  the  before-mentioned  Cana- 
desaga,  where  there  were  a  number  of  fruit  trees.  When 
it  approached  Canandaigua,  where  several  settlements 
were  also  destroyed,  the  Indians  concealed  their  families 
on  a  small  island  in  the  lake,  which  is  now,  from  the  cir- 
cumstance, denominated  Squaiv  Island.  The  men  con- 
cealed themselves  armed  in  the  woods. 

On  our  way  we  saw  an  eagle,  cranes,  and  several 
ravens,  as  black,  and  at  least  twice  as  large  as  crows,  of 
which  latter  there  are  none  in  this  country. 

We  halted  at  Benjamin  Day's,  in  Fayette,  eight  miles 
from  Geneva.  He  is  an  old  bachelor,  with  an  estate  here 
of  2400  acres.  He  says  that  eight  acres  of  his  land  has 
produced  this  year  fifty  bushels  of  wheat  each.  The 
Seneca  wheat  is  the  best  in  the  State.  The  average  pro- 
duce is  thirty  bushels  an  acre.  Mynderse's  Mills,  which 
manufacture  the  best  flour  in  the  State,  owe  their  cele- 
brity, in  a  great  degree,  to  the  excellence  of  this  wheat. 
Two  miles  farther  is  a  tavern,  kept  by  John  Sayre.  Our 
driver  left  at  it  a  letter,  directed  "  To  the  Honorable  John 
Sayre,  Romulus.''     , 

The  road  to  Apple  Town  was  tolerable,  near  the  lake, 
and  in  a  beautiful  fertile  country  ascending  gently  from 
the  lake.  Apple  Town  is  in  Romulus,  in  which  town 
wild  lands  sell  from  $5  to  820,  and  improved  land  from 
820  to  830  per  acre.  Apple  Town  was  formerly  owned 
by  Elkanah  Watson,  200  acres  of  which  was  reserved  by 
him  for  a  town,  which  he  called  New  Plymouth.     It  is 


154  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

now  all  owned  by  Day,  who  gave  $13  an  acre  for  it  eight 
years  ago.  The  lakes  here  are  only  seven  miles  distant. 
Day's  place  is  in  the  same  latitude  as  Albany,  and  much 
warmer.  Seneca  Lake  does  not  freeze.  The  people  on 
the  margin  sometimes  complain  of  cold  in  the  winter,  but 
it  is  owing  to  the  humidity  acquired  by  the  wind  in  pass- 
ing over  the  lakes.  The  water  is  always  warmer  than 
the  air,  and  in  passing  over  the  water,  the  severity  of  the 
air  is  mitigated.  This  lake  is  very  deep.  The  frost  of  the 
18th  July  did  not  injure  the  corn  within  two  or  three 
miles,  and  snow  does  not  continue  long  within  that  dis- 
tance. It  is  a  vulgar  prejudice  that  the  great  lakes  are 
the  source  of  cold.  Canandaigua  Lake  freezes ;  Cayuga, 
only  fourteen  miles  up.  May  not  one  reason  of  Erie's 
freezing,  and  not  Ontario,  be,  that  the  former  is  more  in 
the  line  of  the  north-west  wind,  which  comes  from  the 
frozen  deserts  beyond  Lake  Superior  ?  The  scarcity  of 
fish  in  the  Seneca  Lake  is  attributable  to  the  obstructions 
at  the  outlet,  and  perhaps  to  the  transparency  of  the  wa- 
ters, and  the  paucity  of  weeds  to  conceal  them.  This 
lake  is  remarkably  healthy. 

A  copper  medal  was  dug  up  here  from  an  Indian  grave, 
and  was  accompanied  by  wampum.  Mr.  Davis  gave  it 
to  me  for  the  Historical  Society. 

On  one  side  is  the  sun  with  a  cross  in  the  center,  shin- 
ing on  an  altar,  and  an  Indian  and  European  with  hands 
united  at  the  altar ;  and  on  the  other  the  Virgin  Mary, 
with  this  inscription  on  the  edge,  and  filling  the  exterior 
part  of  the  medal,  which  is  circular  :  "  B.  virgo  sine  para 
originali  concepta."  There  is  a  hole  for  a  ribbon  to  pass 
through,  and  to  suspend  this  medal  round  the  neck.  The 
Indian  in  whose  grave  it  was  interred  was  probably  a 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  155 

Roman  Catholic.  There  are  five  brothers  of  the  name  of 
Day,  who  migrated  from  near  Paterson's  Falls,  in  New 
Jersey,  and  are  settled  here  near  each  other.  J.  Day  is 
lame,  as  is  also  his  son,  from  a  slight  cut  in  the  knee-pan, 
who  is  a  fine  young  man,  studying  law  with  Mr.  Howell, 
of  Canandaigua.  The  family  were  very  kind,  and  Mr. 
Day  would  be  much  more  estimable,  if  he  did  not  apolo- 
gize too  often  for  working,  which  ought  to  be  his  pride. 

There  is  a  cranberry  marsh  a  few  miles  from  here, 
which  contains  700  acres.  A  considerable  stream  runs 
from  it  into  the  Seneca  outlet.  It  has  the  indications  of 
being  an  ancient  lake,  and  may  be  converted  into  hemp 
land.  The  Messrs.  Porters  bought  1000  acres  on  the 
ridge  road,  a  few  miles  from  Lewiston,  for  twelve  shillings 
an  acre,  from  the  Holland  Land  Company,  for  that  pur- 
pose, and  are  now  draining  it  with  great  facility. 

It  is  said  that  there  is  near  here  a  quarry  of  oil-stone,  and 
also  a  salt  spring,  formerly  worked  by  the  Indians. 

August  lOth.  After  breakfast,  we  left  Mr.  Day's  at 
seven  o'clock,  and  passed  by  Bailey  Town  two  miles, 
where  the  road  leaves  the  Seneca,  and  turns  oflf  to  the 
Cayuga  Lake.  This  place  has  about  twenty  houses,  two 
taverns,  and  a  store.  The  Seneca  Lake  is  four  and  a-half 
miles  wide  at  Apple  Town. 

It  is  six  miles  from  Day's  to  the  Court-house,  in  Ovid. 
This  is  built  on  the  central  part  of  the  land  between  the 
lakes,  and  is  the  most  elevated.  We  ascended  the  steeple, 
and  had  a  fair  view  of  the  two  lakes,  and  the  villages  of 
Aurora  and  Geneva.  The  Court-house  is  a  mean  build-- 
ing.  Three  buildings  that  have  the  appearance  of  Attor- 
nies'  oflSces,  a  tavern,  and  a  few  houses,  compose  the  vil- 
lage, in  which  quarter-acre  lots  sell  for  from  620  to  $30. 


156  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

Seneca  county  extends  from  the  head  of  the  lakes  to  Lake 
Ontario,  and  in  some  places  is  not  more  than  seven  miles 
wide.  Mr.  Halsey,  the  chief  agitator  for  this  long  and 
narrow  county,  lives  a  few  miles  from  the  court,  and  has 
secured  the  office  of  clerk  for  himself,  and  of  surrogate  for 
his  son-in-law.  Near  this  place,  saw  a  field  of  common 
thistles  in  blossom,  which  looked  at  a  distance  like  red 
clover.  Mandrakes,  pennyroyal,  Oswego  bitters,  and  this- 
tles, appeared  in  great  plenty  along  the  road.  Of  birds 
we  saw  quails,  robins,  bluejays,  woodpeckers  of  several 
kinds,  and  numbers  of  the  smaller  birds. 

Three  miles  from  the  Court-house,  went  half-a-mile  out 
of  our  way,  to  visit  No.  29  Ovid,  on  the  same  ridge  of 
highland  as  the  Court-house,  where  we  saw  an  old  fort  six 
miles  from  each  lake.  Mr.  Bandowine,  the  owner,  has 
several  flourishing  nurseries  of  peach  and  apple  trees. 
His  house  is  in  the  fort,  the  shape  of  which  appears  to  be 
an  irregular  ellipsis,  and  it  contains  about  two  acres.  The 
place  where  the  south  gate  or  passage  was,  we  could  ob- 
serve directly,  and  by  the  compass  it  stood  directly  south. 
The  ditch  was  around  the  fort,  and  in  some  places  nearly 
choked  up,  and  the  breastwork  was  sunk  within  about 
three  feet  from  its  top  to  the  bottom  of  the  ditch. 

Bandowine  savs,  that  there  is  another  in  Romulus  four- 
teen  miles  distant,  in  which  has  been  dug  up  a  chalky  sub- 
stance, supposed  to  be  calcined  bones.  Another  in  Ulys- 
ses twelve  miles,  at  Jonathan  Owen's ;  and  another  four 
miles  from  the  last,  in  the  same  town.  He  says  that  he 
has  discovered  on  his  farm  of  three  hundred  acres  six  dif- 
ferent places  in  which,  by  digging  three  feet,  he  found 
stones  that  had  the  appearance  of  having  caved  in  ;  burnt 
ashes  and  coal  at  the  bottom,  and  sand.     He  supposes 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  157 

them  to  have  been  Indian  potteries,  or  places  for  cuHnary 
purposes.  In  some  of  these  ancient  forts  trees  200  years 
old  have  been  seen,  and  also  trees  dead  with  age.  It  is 
said  that  there  is  a  chain  of  these  ancient  forts,  from 
Geneva  to  the  Genesee  River,  and  from  thence  to  Lake 
Erie.  A  person  told  me  that  those  about  Canandaigua 
were  circular  and  had  four  gates,  corresponding  to  the 
four  cardinal  points  of  the  compass.  Robert  Munro  in  his 
description  of  the  Genesee  country,  published  in  1804, 
says,  "  There  are  many  remains  of  ancient  fortifications, 
a  chain  of  which  appears  to  extend  from  the  lower  end  of 
Lake  Ontario,  to  the  west  of  the  Ohio  River.  These  forts 
afford  much  speculation  concerning  their  origin  ;  but  the 
most  probable  conclusion  is,  that  they  were  erected  by  the 
French  upon  their  first  settlement  of  America,  about  200 
years  ago."  I  quote  this  writer  for  the  facts,  not  for  the 
opinion,  which  I  believe  to  be  incorrect. 

We  dined  at  Tremain's  Village,  so  called  from  the  sol- 
dier who  owns  the  lot  for  military  services.  He  resides 
here,  and  is  proprietor  of  the  mills,  and  in  good  circum- 
stances. The  village  has  several  houses,  three  taverns, 
and  two  or  three  stores,  and  mills  in  a  ravine  or  hollow, 
formed  by  a  creek  which  runs  through  it.  It  is  in  the 
town  of  Ulysses,  and  was  formerly  called  Shin  Hollow,  by 
some  drunken  fellows,  who,  on  the  first  settlement,  fre- 
quented a  log-tavern  here,  and  on  their  way  home  broke 
their  shins  on  the  bad  roads.  Dr.  Comstock  and  another 
physician  reside  here.  The  contemplated  turnpike,  from 
Ithaca  to  Geneva,  will  pass  through  this  place.  We 
dined  here  at  Crandall's  tavern. 

Ten  miles  north  of  Tremain's  Village,   we   passed   a 
Presbyterian  Church  with  a  small  wooden  frame,  and  two 


158  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

miles   north  an   uncommonly  fine  nursery  of  fruit-trees, 
principally  peach. 

From  here  to  Ithaca  it  is  eleven  miles,  and  the  road  is 
extremely  bad,  except  four  miles  from  the  former  village. 
We  passed  through  an  uncommonly  fine  wood  of  pine-trees. 
The  road  in  several  places  appeared  to  be  diverted  re- 
cently, either  by  new  settlers,  in  order  that  it  might  pass 
by  their  houses,  or  for  the  purpose  of  avoiding'  sloughs 
and  fallen  trees.  On  descending  to  the  head  of  the  lake, 
we  had  a  beautiful  view  of  a  large  fall  of  water,  of  thirty 
feet,  on  the  east  side  of  the  lake,  which  appeared  in  per- 
spective, like  a  surperb  white  house.  This  fall  is  on  Fall 
Creek.  We  also  perceived  the  lake  and  the  village  of 
Ithaca  in  a  valley.  We  arrived  there  about  sun-down, 
and  put  up  at  Gere's  tavern. 

Some  of  the  new  settlers  clear  the  lands  by  beginning 
at  the  tops  of  trees,  and  cutting  the  limbs.  The  upper 
ones  break  off  the  lower,  and  they  soon  strip  the  loftiest 
hemlock.  We  saw' some  of  those  trees  trimmed  in  that 
way.  Others  prefer  making  a  road  where  the  trees  have 
not  been  cut  down,  as  they  can  root  them  up,  and  the 
weight  of  the  trees  in  falling  will  remove  the  roots,  which 
cannot  be  got  rid  of  in  cutting. 

The  distance  from  Ithaca  to  Newburgh,  by  turnpike- 
roads  nearly  completed,  is  166  miles.  To  Kingston,  about 
the  same.  To  Albany  210;  but  if  a  road  is  opened  by 
Sherburne,  the  distance  will  be  reduced  to  165.  Sixty- 
five  of  it  is  now  so  bad,  that  it  can  only  be  traveled  on 
horseback.  To  New  York,  via  Powles's  Hook,  when  the 
contemplated  roads  are  finished,  200.  To  Philadelphia, 
the  same  distance.  The  road  in  both  cases  will  go  as  far 
as  Milford,  on  the  Delaware,  which  is  about  twelve  miles 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  159 

from  Sussex  court-house.  To  Baltimore  about  300  miles. 
The  navigation  is  good  from  Owego  to  Wilkesbarre 
(Wyoming),  118  miles,  at  which  the  Philadelphians  intend 
to  divert  the  trade  from  Baltimore,  by  a  good  turnpike- 
road  to  Philadelphia,  and  by  establishing  houses  there  to 
purchase  the  produce  that  goes  down  the  Susquehannah. 
From  Ithaca  to  Owego,  twenty-eight  miles,  a  good  turn- 
pike-road will  be  finished  this  fall. 

The  price  of  a  barrel  of  salt  at  Ithaca  is  twenty  shil- 
lings ;  conveyance  to  Owego  by  land,  six  shillings ;  from 
Owego  to  Baltimore,  by  water,  eight  shillings.  Allowing 
a  profit  of  six  shillings  on  a  barrel,  salt  can  be  sent  from 
here  to  Baltimore,  for  one  dollar  per  bushel.  Packing-salt 
sold  there  last  spring  for  six  shillings.  Each  100  lbs.  car- 
ried by  water  from  Ithaca  to  Schenectady,  cost  81,26  ;  by 
land,  $1,50.  A  barrel  of  potash  will  cost,  to  carry  to 
Schenectady,  86,50,  and  from  thence  to  Albany  fifty  cents. 
To  New  York  via  Albany,  storage,  commission,  and  all 
other  expenses,  $7,75. 

Salt  is  taken  down  the  country  from  this  place  by 
water,  as  far  as  Northumberland,  Pennsylvania,  150  miles 
from  Owego.  It  is  120  miles  from  here  to  the  head- waters 
of  the  Alleghany.  There  is  no  road  but  a  sleigh-road,  in 
winter,  by  which  salt  is  conveyed  in  small  quantities  ; 
3,500  barrels  will  be  distributed  from  Ithaca  this  season. 

Flour  will  be  sent  from  this  place  to  Montreal,  via 
Oswego,  or  to  Baltimore  via  Owego.  There  is  no  great 
difference  in  the  expense  of  transportation.  It  will  proba- 
bly seek  Montreal  as  the  most  certain  market. 

A  boat  carrying  from  100  to  140  ban'els,  will  go  to  and 
return  from  Schenectady  in  six  weeks.  An  ark  carrying 
250  barrels,  costs  $75  at  Owego.     It  can  go  down  the 


/ 


160  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

river  to  Baltimore,  in  eight,  ten,  or  twelve  days,  and  when 
there,  it  will  sell  for  half  the  original  price.  The  owner, 
after  vending  his  produce,  returns  home  by  land  with  his 
money,  or  goes  to  New  York  by  water,  where,  as  at  Al- 
bany, he  lays  out  his  money  in  goods.  The  rapids  of  the 
Susquehannah  are  fatal  to  ascending  navigation. 

Cattle  are  sent  in  droves  to  Philadelphia.  Seneca 
County,  it  is  estimated,  will  send  2000  head  this  year. 
Upwards  of  200  barrels  of  beef  and  pork  were  sent  from 
this  place  last  spring,  by  arks,  to  Baltimore  from  Owego, 
by  Buell  and  Gere,  and  sold  to  advantage. 

We  were  told  here,  that  the  deep  well  which  was  digging 
at  Montezuma,  when  we  were  there,  is  finished,  and  that 
when  the  workmen  had  penetrated  to  the  depth  of  105 
feet,  they  struck  something  hard,  supposed  to  be  the  fossil 
salt,  and  the  water  ascended  with  such  rapidity,  that  they 
were  compelled  to  escape  as  soon  as  possible.  That  it 
now  overflows  the  well,  is  stronger  than  any  other,  and 
that  fifty  gallons  will  make  a  bushel. 

Ithaca  contains  a  post  office,  two  taverns,  stores,  tan- 
nery, mills,  etc.,  and  near  fifty  houses.  It  is  one  and  a-half 
miles  from  the  Cayuga  Lake.  Boats  can  come  up,  about 
one  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  compact  part  of  the  village, 
in  an  inlet,  which  is  dead  water.  It  is  in  a  valley,  is  sur- 
rounded by  hills  on  three  sides,  and  on  the  north  by  the 
lake  and  its  marshes.  A  creek  runs  through  Ithaca,  that 
turns  a  mill,  supplies  a  tannery,  etc.,  and  contains  good 
trout.  The  situation  of  this  place,  at  the  head  of  Cayuga 
Lake,  and  a  short  distance  from  the  descending  waters  to 
the  Atlantic,  and  about  120  miles  to  the  descending  waters 
to  the  Mississippi,  must  render  it  a  place  of  great  import- 
ance. 


PRIVATE   JOURNAL.  161 

The  cucumber  and  coffee-trees,  and  plenty  of  pitch-pine, 
grow  in  the  adjacent  county.  One  hundred  barrels  of  tar 
are  brought  here  yearly,  at  $4  cash. 

The  proprietor  of  this  village  is  the  Surveyor-General. 
He  has  a  merino  ram  of  the  y|,  who  has  by  thirty-three 
common  ewes,  forty-four  lambs  this  year,  twenty-eight  of 
which  are  rams,  and  sixteen  ewes.  He  intends  to  sell  the 
rams  at  810  a  piece  ;  to  purchase  100  ewes  at  nineteen  or 
twenty  shillings  a  piece  ;  and  as  he  has  procured  a  full- 
blooded  ram  from  the  Clermont  breed,  his  stock  will  then 
consist  of  the  two  rams  and  150  ewes.  He  has  selected 
a  beautiful  and  very  elevated  spot,  on  the  east  hill,  for  a 
house,  on  which  there  is  a  small  grove  of  the  white  pine, 
from  which  you  have  a  grand  view  of  the  lake  and  coun- 
try. On  the  north  of  this  mount,  you  see  below  you  a 
precipice  of  100  feet,  at  the  foot  of  which  there  passes 
through  the  fissures  of  the  rock  a  considerable  stream. 
The  remains  of  the  first  mill  in  this  country  are  there  visi- 
ble. It  is  not  much  larger  than  a  large  hog-pen  and  the 
stones  were  the  size  of  the  largest  grind-stones  ;  a  trough 
led  the  water  to  the  wheel.  It  ground  about  forty  or  fifty 
bushels  a-day  ;  was  the  first  mill  in  this  country,  erected 
about  sixteen  years  ago,  by  one  Hancock,  a  squatter,  and 
was  resorted  to  by  people  at  a  distance  of  thirty  miles. 
From  the  western  side  of  the  mount,  a  spring  of  water 
issues,  that  can  supply  the  house  by  aqueducts. 

August  11th. — We  spent  this  day  at  Ithaca.  It  rained 
heavily  in  the  night,  and  was  showery  in  the  morning, 
after  which  it  became  very  close  and  warm.  It  felt  as  if 
divested  of  oxygen,  and  destitute  of  a  vital  principle.  The 
sun  shone  in  the  afternoon,  and  you  could  not  sit  in  a  room 

11 


162  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

without  perspiration.     It  was  undoubtedly  the  hottest  day 
this  season. 

I  saw  here  Abraham  Johnson,  formerly  a  sergeant  in 
Gen.  Clinton's  brigade,  and  who  wrote  a  song  on  the 
storming    of  Fort   Montgomery,  which  was  afterwards) 
printed.     He  lives  near  here  and  is  doing  well, 

Salmon  frequented  this  lake  the  latter  end  of  August, 
and  continued  until  cold  weather.  Last  year,  since  the 
erection  of  Baldwin's  mill  dam  across  the  Seneca  River, 
they  did  not  appear  until  October,  and  then  not  in  the 
usual  number.  Some  have  always  continued  over  the 
winter,  and  are  caught  by  openings  in  the  ice,  with  a  hook 
and  bait  of  pork  or  white  worm.  Shad  come  up  the 
Susquehannah,  and  are  caught  at  Owego,  and  week-fish 
at  Tioga  Point. 

Baldwin's  dam,  it  is  said  here,  does  not  pi'omote  the 
navigation.  Boats  are  frequently  detained  there  several 
days,  and  are  often  forced  to  take  out  part  of  their  lading. 
At  the  last  court,  a  boatman  recovered  $100  in  damages 
against  him  for  detention.  The  boatmen  and  people  in- 
terested in  the  navigation  were  prevailed  on  by  him  to 
petition  in  favor  of  the  dam,  in  consequence  of  which  the 
law  was  passed,  and  they  now  bitterly  regret  it. 

The  Surveyor-General  has  sold  out  many  lots,  not  quite 
a  quarter  of  an  acre  each,  for  $25  or  $30,  but  has  stopped 
the  sales,  to  see  whether  the  conditions  of  improvement 
will  be  fulfilled.  Four  years  ago  there  were  but  two  or 
three  houses,  and  when  the  contemplated  canal  into  the 
center  of  the  village  is  completed,  it  must  increase  with 
great  rapidity. 

A  republican  newspaper  called  "  The  American  Far- 
mer^' is  printed  at  Owego,  Tioga  county,  by  Stephen 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  163 

Mack.  There  is  a  fine  tree  in  this  country  called  the  Bal- 
sam Poplar,  which  is  the  same  as  our  Balm  of  Gilead. 
The  botanic  name  of  the  Button-wood,  is  the  plane  tree ; 
it  is  falsely  called  the  Sycamore,  which  does  not  exist  in 
this  country.  The  Bass  is  a  Dutch  name,  its  true  name 
is  Linden. 

There  are  in  the  western  woods  five  or  six  different 
kinds  of  plum  and  the  crab-apple,  which  in  blossom  emit 
a  fragrant  smell,  and  the  fruit  makes  good  sweetmeats. 
I  saw  here  a  species  of  wild  balm  and  of  wild  mint.  The 
Oswego  bitters  or  tea  grows  all  over  this  country,  and  has 
a  flower  at  the  extremity  somewhat  resembling  a  poppy. 

It  is  said  that  there  are  salt  lakes  in  this  country,  and 
one  near  this  place,  formerly  much  frequented  by  deer, 
who  were  in  great  plenty  when  the  country  was  first 
settled,  and  on  being  pursued  by  dogs,  immediately  took 
to  the  lakes,  in  which  they  were  easily  shot.  About  twelve 
miles  south-west  of  the  great  bend  of  the  Susquehannah 
in  Pennsylvania,  there  is  a  salt  spring  to  which  the  Indians 
formerly  resorted.  This  is  probably  a  link  in  the  chain  of 
fossil  salt,  extending  from  Salina  to  Louisiana,  like  the  main 
range  of  the  Alleghany  mountains. 

There  is  said  to  be  iron  ore  near  Utica.  About  200 
yards  from  Gere's  tavern,  a  gun  barrel  and  kettle  were 
dug  up  from  a  supposed  Indian  grave. 

It  was  pleasing  to  see  all  over  the  country  advertise- 
ments of  machines  for  carding  wool. 

Mr.  Gere  has  finished,  for  $2,300  in  stock  of  the  Ithaca 
and  Owego  Turnpike  Company,  three  miles  of  that  turn- 
pike, from  the  10th  of  April  to  the  10th  of  July,  with 
eight  men,  four  yoke  of  oxen,  and  two  teams  of  horses. 
Scrapers  are  a  powerful  engine  in  making  roads.     He  is 


164  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

also  building  an  elegant  frame  hotel,  three  stories  high, 
and  50  by  40  feet,  with  suitable  out-buildings  and  garden. 
The  carpenters'  work  was  contracted  for  at  $1,500 ;  the 
whole  will  not  cost  more  than  $6,000.  Travelers  from 
New  York,  Philadelphia,  etc.,  will  find  this  a  much  nearer 
route  to  Geneva,  Genesee,  the  Lakes  and  Upper  Canada, 
than  by  Albany,  and  the  road  very  accommodating  when 
the  Ithaca  and  Geneva  turnpike  is  made.  Gere  is  a  very 
enterprising  man,  and  vastly  superior  to  his  brother-in-law 
and  partner.  Judge  B.,  who  appears  to  have  exhausted 
his  genius,  in  giving  his  children  eccentric  names,  as  Don 
Carlos,  Julius  Octavius,  Joanna  Almeria. 

Fourteen  miles  from  Ithaca,  in  the  town  of  Spencer, 
Tioga  county,  is  a  settlement  of  Virginians  called  ^peed ; 
they  are  all  Federalists.  An  old  man  of  the  name  of 
Hyde  belonging  to  it,  spent  at  least  five  hours  in  the  tavern 
to-day,  and  went  off"  so  drunk  that  he  could  hardly  balance 
himself  on  his  horse.  Behind  him  was  a  bag,  containing 
on  each  side  a  keg  of  liquor,  and  his  pockets  were  loaded 
with  bottles.  In  the  bar-room  he  abused  Jefferson,  Madi- 
son, and  a  number  of  other  leading  Republicans. 

Does  it  make  any  essential  diflTerence  to  the  community 
where  its  produce  is  sold,  if  sold  to  profit  ?  If  a  bushel 
of  wheat  can  be  carried  to  Baltimore  for  six  shillings  less 
expense  than  to  Albany,  ought  not  this  to  be  encouraged  ? 
Here  the  profit  to  the  farmer  competes  with  that  of  the 
merchant.  But  the  importing  merchant  is  not  injured ; 
the  money  is  carried  to  New  York  and  expended  in  mer- 
chandize, and  more  is  expended  in  consequence  of  the  in- 
creased price  of  the  commodity.  How  does  this  doctrine 
bear  on  the  Montreal  trade  ?  This  idea  deserves  farther 
reflection. 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  165 

About  Ithaca  there  is  more  pine  than  in  any  other  part 
of  the  western  country.  Several  hundred  barrels  of  tar 
are  made  of  the  pitch  pine.  The  best  land  is  denoted  by 
the  presence  of  the  black  walnut  and  beach  ;  oak,  maple, 
and  bass  come  next,  and  the  last  in  order  are  hemlock  and 
pine. 

August  12th,  Sunday.  We  left  Ithaca  at  five.  The 
house  was  good  and  the  bill  moderate.  We  were  accom- 
modated with  the  family  sitting-room,  as  a  mark  of  respect, 
but  we  were  not  a  little  surprised  to  find  it  occupied  at 
the  same  time  by  a  sewing  girl,  and  we  were  frequently 
disturbed  by  noisy  debates  on  politics,  from  the  adjacent 
bar-room. 

We  passed  Fall  Creek,  and  had  a  near  view  of  its  fall, 
before  described.  A  large  volume  of  water  tumbles  per- 
pendicularly over  a  precipice  of  fifty  feet.  After  seeing 
the  Falls  of  Niagara,  every  object  of  this  kind  loses  its  in- 
terest and  its  grasp  on  the  attention. 

x\bout  six  miles  we  were  overtaken  by  a  shower,  and 
sheltered  ourselves  for  a  few  minutes  in  a  farmer's  house, 
in  Geneva,  formerly  Milton.  He  lives  on  No.  91  Milton, 
and  has  lived  there  four  years.  He  bought  sixty  acres  for 
88,  thirty  for  $17,  and  ten  for  $20. 

Nine  miles  from  Ithaca  we  passed  Salmon  Creek,  a  con- 
siderable stream,  on  which  are  mills,  built  by  one  Ludlow  ; 
and  a  mile  farther  we  ascended  a  very  elevated  hill,  from 
which  we  had  a  prospect  of  Ithaca,  the  lake,  and  a  great 
part  of  Seneca  county.  Here  are  some  houses,  and  a 
Post-office. 

Sixteen  miles  from  Ithaca  we  breakfasted  at  Conklin's 
tavern,  at  nine  o'clock.  Here  a  road  leads  along  the  Pop- 
lar Ridge,  the  Seneca  turnpike,  and  another  to  Aurora,  by 


166  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

the  lake.      The  country  so  far  is  well  settled,  and  the 
houses  good. 

Conklin  was  formerly  overseer  of  Gen.  Van  Cortland, 
and  lives  on  42  Milton.  He  says  that  no  land  in  this  vi- 
cinity can  be  purchased  by  the  100  acres,  under  $20  per 
acre. 

The  whole  morning  we  had  light  showers,  blowing  up 
to  the  head  of  the  lake.  We  took  the  Poplar  Ridge  road, 
as  the  nearest  and  best.  The  country  is  well  settled ;  we 
could  see  houses  intermixed  in  all  the  stages  of  improve- 
ment, from  the  rough  cabin  to  the  elegant  villa,  and  stumps 
and  fruit-trees  in  the  same  field — spectacles  not  to  be  seen 
in  any  other  country.  In  the  first  stage  of  cultivation, 
when  the  trees  are  cut  down  a  cabin  is  erected.  In  the 
second  stage  a  neat  log-house,  with  sometimes  two  stories. 
The  third  erects  a  frame  house ;  and  the  fourth,  a  large 
painted  or  brick-house.  A  Yankee  lays  out  his  money  on 
his  house,  the  inside  of  which  he  never  finishes — a  Dutch- 
man on  his  barn.  The  former  always  builds  on  roads,  the 
latter  on  flats,  or  in  vallies.  We  found  the  road  good,  and 
lined  wath  May- weed.  Thistles,  and  uncommonly  large 
sumach,  hollyhocks,  and  poppies,  in  every  garden,  and 
small  sun-flowers  wild  in  the  field.  We  also  perceived 
marsh  black-birds  in  flocks,  high-holes,  woodpeckers,  and 
bluejays,  in  great  number. 

At  the  distance  of  every  mile  we  passed  cross-roads 
running  to  the  lake,  and  at  convenient  intervals,  black- 
smith's shops  and  school-houses.  The  corn  was  excellent, 
and  the  harvest-fields  of  wheat,  either  in  shocks  or  clean, 
abundant.  We  passed  a  handsome  Presbyterian  church, 
four  miles  from  Conklin's,  where  we  saw  twelve  covered 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  167 

carriages  of  different  kinds,  and  a  number  of  plain  wagons 
and  horses. 

Nine  miles  from  Conklin's  we  stopped  at  Augustus  Chid- 
sey's  to  rest.  This  is  a  well-improved,  pleasant  place,  is 
in  the  town  of  Scipio,  and  was  sold  last  May  to  William 
L.  Burling,  of  New  York,  for  $23  50  an  acre,  who  intends 
to  reside  here,  and  who  has  purchased  a  merino  ram  and 
ewe. 

In  various  orchards  along  the  road  we  saw  from  100  to 
300  apple  trees.  Seven  miles  from  Chidsey's,  there  is  an 
orchard  containing  upwards  of  1000  fruit-trees,  planted  by 
Wells,  from  Vermont,  one  of  the  oldest  settlers.  Half-a- 
mile  from  Chidsey's,  at  Watkins's  Corner,  we  passed  a 
Baptist  church,  and  several  houses.  The  Poplar  Ridge 
road  is,  generally  speaking,  excellent,  and  is  on  an  aver- 
age about  four  miles  from  the  lake. 

We  dined  at  Henry  Moore's  tavern,  four  miles  from  the 
Cayuga  Lake,  fourteen  from  Musquito  Point  on  the  Seneca 
River,  where  his  son-in-law,  Lyons,  keeps  the  tavern  : 
eleven  miles  from  Chidsey's  tavern,  and  four  and  a-half 
from  Auburn.  He  migrated  from  Southhold,  in  Suffolk 
county,  to  this  place,  about  eighteen  years  ago,  and  pur- 
chased 500  acres,  in  62  Aurelius  where  he  lives,  for  $150. 
He  now  owns  upwards  of  1000  acres  of  land,  is  opulent 
and  respectable.  Moore  is  a  Republican,  as  all  emigrants 
from  Suffolk  county  are.     He  takes  the  Albany  Register. 

About  half-a-mile  from  his  house,  and  three  and  a-half 
from  the  Cayuga  Lake,  there  is  on  Lot  69  of  the  Cayuga 
Reservation,  containing  240  acres  and  owned  by  him,  a 
ledge  of  rocks  and  stones  extending  a  mile  in  a  parallel 
direction  with  the  lake.  The  higher  stratum  is  composed 
of  limestone,  and  the  next  adjoining  one  of  sandstone  em- 


168  '  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

bedded  with  marine  substances.  There  is  but  one  stratum 
of  sandstone,  of  the  thickness  of  two  or  three  feet,  and  be- 
low and  beneath  as  well  as  above  it,  there  is  limestone. 
The  sandstone  contains  several  marine  shells,  which  ap- 
pear to  be  strange,  and  I  should  therefore  pronounce  them 
oceanic.  There  are  littoral  ones  also,  such  as  scallops, 
and  in  one  instance  a  periwinkle  was  found  and  sent  to 
Peale's  Museum  in  Philadelphia.  One  strange  substance 
is  larger  than  a  scallop,  and  one  is  like  a  horse-shoe  in 
miniature.  From  the  propinquity  to  the  limestone,  I 
should  suppose  that  the  sand  and  marine  substances  were 
connected  by  a  solution  of  the  calcareous  matter.  Some 
of  the  stones  are  ejected  probably  by  torrents,  from  the 
regular  layer.  The  sandstone  is  easily  broken,  and  when 
pounded  or  burnt  is  converted  into  a  fine  marine  sand. 
This  collection  of  sandstone  demonstrates  the  existence  of 
the  ocean  here.  These  sandstones  are  found  singly,  all 
over  the  field  in  this  place.  We  have  now  seen  shells 
and  other  marine  substances  in  limestone,  in  sandstone, 
and  in  flint,  at  Mynderse's  Mills.  Moore's  cellar  is  partly 
dug  out  of  a  slate  rock,  and  the  walls  of  it  are  made  of  the 
sandstone.  When  the  women  of  the  family  want  sand, 
they  reduce  the  stone  by  ignition. 

The  ground  adjacent  to  the  road  is  covered  from  here 
to  Auburn  with  May-weed,  w^hich  is  a  species  of  camo- 
mile used  by  old  women  in  medicine.  The  seed  was 
sown  and  brought  into  the  country  by  them.  The  Oswe- 
go bitters  is  denominated  wild  balm  in  this  country. 

The  large  wagons  carrying  forty  or  fifty  hundred 
weight,  go  from  Geneva  to  Albany  for  $3  a  hundred,  car- 
rying and  returning  with  a  load,  which  makes  about  six 
dollars  a  day,  as  they  consume  twenty  days  out  and  home 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  169 

They  make  thirteen  trips  in  a  year,  and  find  it  pro- 
fitable two-thirds  of  the  time.  They  generally  use  five 
horses  ;  the  rims  of  the  wagons  are  six  inches  broad,  and 
one  has  nine  inches,  and  six  horses.  They  have  selected 
taverns  by  the  way,  which  furnish  them  with  provender 
nearly  at  prime  cost.  From  Auburn  the  charge  is  twenty- 
two  shillings  per  cwt.,  twelve  shillings  in  going  and  ten  in 
returning,  with  a  load.  This  mode  of  transportation  is 
said  to  be  as  cheap  as  water-carriage,  and  safer. 

A  mile  from  Moore's  we  entered  the  great  Seneca  turn- 
pike. At  the  junction  of  these  roads  there  is  a  Presby- 
terian Church.  We  arrived  at  Bostwick's  tavern,  in 
Auburn,  where  we  found  the  commodore  and  son,  and 
baggage.  The  turnpike  was  not  so  good  as  the  upper 
Ridge  Road,  the  ground  being  sunk  and  wet. 

August  \Zth.  Here  we  engaged  a  coachee  and  com- 
mon wagon,  owned  by  Fitch,  a  tavern-keeper,  to  convey 
us  to  Utica.  Here  the  surveyor-general  learned  from  a 
newspaper  the  burning  of  some  of  his  out -houses  at 
Albany,  and  took  passage  in  the  stage,  in  which  were 
O.  L.  Phelps  and  wife,  and  William  Ogden  of  New  York, 
&c. 

Auburn  derives  its  name  from  Goldsmith.  It  contains 
three  tanneries,  three  distilleries,  one  coachmaker,  two 
watchmakers,  four  taverns,  two  tailors,  six  merchants, 
three  shoemakers,  two  potasheries,  two  wagon  makers, 
three  blacksmiths,  two  chair-makers,  three  saddlers,  three 
physicians,  a  Presbyterian  clergyman,  and  an  incorporated 
library  of  220  volumes.  It  is  the  county  town,  and  has 
about  ninety  houses,  three  law  offices,  a  Post-office,  the 
Court-house,  and  the  county  clerk's  office.     It  is  a  fine 


170  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

growing  place,  and  is  indebted  to  its  hydraulic  works  and 
the  Court-house  for  its  prosperity. 

There  are  sixteen  lawyers  in  Cayuga  county.  Auburn 
has  no  church.  The  Court-house  is  used  for  divine  wor- 
ship. 

It  is  situate  on  the  outlet  of  Owasco  Lake,  on  Nos. 
46  and  47  Aurelius  ;  100  acres  of  46  belongs  to  W.  Bost- 
wick,  inn-keeper,  and  the  remainder  to  Robert  Dill.  The 
former  has  asked  $150  for  half- acre  lots,  the  Court-house 
being  on  his  land  ;  and  the  latter  has  asked  $300  for  a 
water-lot  on  the  outlet,  which  is  not  navigable.  No.  47 
belongs  to  the  heirs  of  John  L.  Hardenbergh,  and  covers 
the  best  waters  of  the  outlet,  and  a  fine  rapid  stream. 
Auburn  is  eight  miles  from  Cayuga  Lake,  three  from 
Owasco  Lake,  and  not  seventy-five  from  Utica.  Owasco 
Lake  is  twelve  miles  long  and  one  wide.  The  outlet  is 
fourteen  miles  long,  and  on  it  are  the  following  hydraulic 
establishments  : — nine  saw  mills,  two  carding  machines, 
two  turner's  shops,  one  trip  hammer  and  blacksmith's 
shop,  two  oil  mills,  five  grist  mills,  three  fulling  mills,  one 
bark  mill,  and  several  tanneries.  At  the  lower  falls,  Mr. 
Dill  has  a  furnace,  in  which  he  uses  old  iron,  there  being 
no  iron  ore. 

At  this  place  there  is  a  Federal  newspaper,  published 
by  Pan,  the  former  partner  of  James  Thompson  Callender. 
Pan  settled  first  at  Aurora,  being  allured  there  by  Walter 
Wood,  and  being  starved  out  there,  he  came  here,  and  is 
principally  supported  by  advertisements  of  mortgages, 
which  must,  if  there  be  a  paper  in  the  county  where  the 
lands  lie,  be  printed  in  it,  and  this  is  the  only  one  in 
Cayuga  county. 

The  machine  for  picking  wool  is  excellent.     The  card- 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  171 

ing  machine  is  next  used,  and  turns  out  the  wool  in  com- 
plete rolls.  It  can  card  112  pounds  per  day,  and  one  man 
attends  both.  Four  shillings  per  pound  is  given  for  wool. 
Carding,  picking,  and  greasing  wool  (the  grease  furnished 
by  the  owner  of  the  wool),  is  eight  pence  per  pound. 
There  are  upwards  of  twenty  carding  machines  in  this 
county,  and  great  numbers  of  sheep  are  driven  to  the  New- 
York  market. 

The  linseed  oil  mill  can  express  fifteen  gallons  of  oil  in 
a  day,  and  with  a  great  effort  a  barrel.  The  flax  .seed  is 
broken  by  two  mill  stones,  placed  perpendicularly,  like 
those  of  bark  mills,  and  following  each  other  in  succession. 
Seed  costs  from  two  to  seven  shillings  per  bushel,  and 
each  bushel  produces  three  or  four  quarts.  The  oil  sells 
at  the  mill  for  nine  shillings  a  gallon.  Oil  is  also  express- 
ed from  the  seed  of  the  sunflower.  One  bushel  makes 
two  gallons ;  it  is  excellent  for  burning,  and  makes  no 
smoke.     Oil  is  also  made  here  from  Palma  Christi. 

At  a  mill  north-west  from  Auburn,  on  37  Aurelius,  a 
spring  rises  perpendicularly  out  of  the  level  earth.  It 
produces  two  hogsheads  a  minute,  and  immediately  forms 
a  mill  stream.  A  few  yards  below  it  is  a  fulling  mill. 
The  water  is  uncommonly  good  and  cold.  I  found  in  it 
a  honeycombed  fossil,  like  those  at  the  Sulphur,  at  Cherry 
Valley,  and  near  Geneva.  This  spring  is  called  the  Cold 
Spring.  There  are  two  or  three  others  near  it,  and  the 
creek  formed  by  them,  called  Cold  Spring  Creek,  contains 
excellent  trout.  About  a  mile  from  the  cold  spring  there 
is  a  sulphur  spring.  From  the  fossil  found  at  the  cold 
spring,  and  the  coldness  of  the  water,  it  must  run  over 
sulphur.  There  is  a  sulphur  spring  on  the  margin  of  the 
Cayuga  Lake. 


172  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

Old  Forts.  Half  a-mile  south  of  Auburn,  there  is  an 
old  fort  on  very  high  ground,  which  is  surrounded  to  a 
considerable  extent  with  deep  ravines  and  precipitous 
valleys.  A  ditch  is  to  be  distinctly  traced  on  the  outside 
of  the  breastwork,  on  the  level  ground,  but  it  appears  to 
be  lost  when  it  reaches  the  precipices,  where  there  is  no 
occasion  for  it.  There  are  large  trees  in  and  about  the 
ditches,  and  some  in  the  fort,  dead  with  age.  The  North 
Gate  can  be  distinctly  traced.  It  contains  between  two 
and  three  acres,  and  covers  the  most  commanding  ground 
in  the  country.  We  saw  several  holes  which  appeared 
to  have  been  dug  within  a  few  years,  by  superstitious  per- 
sons, in  search  of  money. 

One  mile  north  from  Auburn,  and  on  ground  equally 
elevated,  there  is  a  similar  work,  covering  four  acres. 
Pieces  of  Indian  earthenware  have  been  found  in  it.  It 
has  a  very  high  breastwork.  It  contains  a  north  gate,  the 
entrance  of  which  must  have  been  from  the  west,  and 
produced  by  the  lapping  of  the  breast-work.  A  large  oak 
tree,  three  and  a  half  feet  diameter,  was  cut  down  on  the 
breastwork,  which,  from  the  circles  on  it,  must  have  been 
260  years  old.     The  whole  is  surrounded  by  a  ditch. 

Eight  miles  from  Auburn,  in  Camillus,  there  is  another 
fort,  which  has  a  breastwork  seven  .feet  high,  a  ditch  four 
feet  deep,  and  it  is  twenty-five  feet  from  the  extremity  of 
the  ditch  to  the  top  of  the  breastwork.  It  is  a  perfect 
ellipsis,  and  has  an  east  and  west  gate  only.  There  is  an 
oak  tree  on  the  breastwork,  which  is  three  feet  diameter, 
and  which,  from  its  circles,  has  been  there  upwards  of  300 
years,  and  its  roots  show  that  it  was  not  left  standing 
when  the  work  was  erected.  Six  miles  from  Auburn,  in 
Scipio,  there  is  another  fort  with  a  ditch,  and  breastwork 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  173 

on  one  side  only.  It  is  situated  at  the  confluence  of  two 
streams,  and  the  ditch  and  breastwork  form  the  base  of 
the  triangle.  Twenty-five  rods  from  the  ditch,  and 
in  the  interior  of  the  fort  there  is  a  trench.  In  digging 
into  it  two  or  three  feet,  the  remains  of  bones  in  a  calcined 
form  are  found.  The  remains  of  stone  walls  are  to  be 
seen  along  the  streams  in  the  inside  of  the  fort,  erected 
there  in  lieu  of  breastworks,  and  the  creeks  serving  as 
ditches. 

Near  VandewerUer's  tavern,  in  Niagara  county,  the 
Seneca  turnpike  runs  through  an  old  fort,  in  which  is  Mr. 
Asahel  Clark's  house. 

A  survey  and  map  ought  to  be  taken  of  these  forts  be- 
fore all  traces  of  them  are  obliterated  by  the  plough. 

The  idea  that  these  works  were  erected  by  the  French 
or  any  other  Europeans  is  erroneous.  First,  from  their 
number ;  second,  from  their  antiquity ;  and  third,  from  their 
slope.  They  are  not  like  European  forts — they  have  no 
bastions  to  clear  the  ditches.  The  ditch  being  on  the  out- 
side precludes  the  idea  of  habitation,  although  in  times  of 
alarm  they  were  doubtless  used  for  that  purpose,  and  they 
may  have  served  as  places  of  refuge  against  wild  beasts 
as  well  as  human  enemies,  or  as  asylums  for  their  families 
when  they  went  to  war  or  hunt.  The  mammoth  would 
alone,  if  carnivorous,  render  necessary  such  erections. 
The  difficulty  of  reaching  the  gate  in  the  Auburn  Fort, 
evidently  shows  that  it  was  intended  to  annoy  and  be- 
wilder an  enemy  in  his  approaches. 

At  the  Oneida  Reservation  I  saw  Louis  Dennie,  a 
Frenchman,  who  was  born  on  the  Illinois,  and  when  eigh- 
teen came  up  in  the  French  war  with  a  French  officer  to 
fight  the  Five  Nations,  and  was  taken  prisoner  by  the 


174  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

Mohawks,  among  whom  he  married.  His  wife  talks 
Dutch,  retains  her  primitive  manners,  and  is  decent  and 
clean.  Dennie  is  upwards  of  seventy.  He  appears  to  be 
anxious  for  war,  and  wishes  to  engage  in  it.  He  is  a  per- 
fect Indian  in  dress,  manners,  and  behavior ;  his  color  is 
somewhat  whiter.  On  being  asked  about  the  old  forts,  he 
says,  that  from  the  traditions  of  old  Indians  with  whom  he 
has  conversed,  in  Canada  as  well  as  here,  he  is  of  opinion 
that  they  were  erected  by  the  Spaniards,  who  first  appear- 
ed at  Oswego,  passed  into  Manlius,  and^progressed  through 
Onondaga,  Pompey,  to  the  lakes,  and  from  thence  through 
the  country  down  the  Ohio  and  disappeared,  leaving  the 
country  by  the  Mississippi.  That  they  frightened  the  In- 
dians by  their  fire-arms,  who  being  thickly  settled,  were 
engaged  in  continual  warfare  with  them  and  obliged  them 
to  fortify.  That  their  object  was  searching  for  the  precious 
metals ;  that  they  staid  in  the  country  upwards  of  two 
years ;  that  the  iron  instruments  of  agriculture  dug  up  in 
various  parts  of  the  country,  were  left  by  them ;  that  the 
Indians  being  afraid  of  fire-arms  made  way  for  them  to 
pass  ;  that  the  Spaniards  were  very  numerous ;  that  there 
is  a  large  fort  in  Onondaga,  one  in  Manlius,  another  in 
Pompey ;  and  that  they  were  all  over  the  country.  That 
the  first  Europeans  seen  by  the  Indians  were  Spaniards ; 
the  next  French.  He  farther  states,  that  the  Indians  say 
that  they  erected  many  of  the  forts  themselves ;  but  he 
does  not  see  how  they  could  do  it  without  the  use  of  iron 
tools.  Dennie  is  not  very  intelligent ;  he  prefers  the  savage 
life ;  his  character  is  good,  and  what  he  represents  he 
believes. 

Jemima  Wilkinson.     Mr.  Eddy,  who  visited  her  at  the 
Crooked  Lake,  says,  that  she  is  about  fifty-seven  years 


^  PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  175 

of  age,  of  Rhode  Island,  but  of  what  sect  he  could  not 
learn.  That  she  has  about  forty  or  fifty  adherents,  the 
principal  of  whom  is  Rachel  Miller,  aged  upwards  of 
forty,  formerly  a  Quaker  seamstress,  of  Philadelphia,  in 
whose  name  the  title  deeds  of  the  property  are  held.  That 
she  lives  in  a  handsome,  plentiful  style,  and  is  about 
completing  a  very  large  and  elegant  house,  on  a  com- 
manding position.  That  a  large  tract  of  land  was  pur- 
chased from  Gorham  and  Phelps  for  eighteen  cents  an 
acre,  but  what  proportion  is  held  by  Rachel,  for  the  Friend, 
as  she  is  called  all  over  the  country,  he  does  not  know,  as 
some  of  her  followers  have  receded  from  her  and  appro- 
priated part  of  the  land  to  their  exclusive  use.  That  her 
dress,  countenance,  and  demeanor  are  masculine  in  a  great 
degree ;  and  that  her  conduct  is  marked  by  garrulity  and 
vanity ;  and  that  when  closely  questioned  she  evinces  great 
irritation.  That  she  adopts  the  Quaker  style  of  preach- 
ing ;  like  them  is  opposed  to  oaths  and  war,  and  does  not 
prohibit,  although  she  discountenances,  marriage.  That 
her  discourses,  as  well  set  as  conversational,  are  texts  of 
Scripture  combined  without  regularity  or  connection,  but 
indicative  of  a  retentive  memory.  That  she  has  no  pecu- 
liar creed,  unless  in  relation  to  herself;  that  in  this  respect 
she  veils  herself  in  mystery,  and  does  not  distinctly  say 
what  being  she  is,  although  she  represents  herself  as  a 
spirit  from  heaven,  animating  the  defunct  body  of  Jemima 
Wilkinson.  But  what  kind  or  order  of  divine  being,  whe- 
ther the  soul  of  a  departed  saint,  an  angel,  or  a  second 
Christ,  she  does  not  communicate  to  the  profane.  Her 
power  is  founded  on  the  extreme  ignorance  of  her  fol- 
lowers, operated  on  by  her  impudence  and  cunning.  Vain, 
ignorant,  and  talkative,  but  shrewd  to  a  degree,  she  will 


176  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

maintain  her  dominion,  notwithstanding,  over  some  of  her 
sect — a  dominion  tottering,  however,  with  the  decadence 
of  her  mind  and  the  failure  of  her  personal  charms.  When 
interrogated  as  to  her  doctrine,  she  referred  to  a  book 
published  by  Bailey,  of  Philadelphia,  of  five  or  six  pages, 
consisting  merely  of  salutary  advice  written  by  her,  and 
full  of  Scripture  quotations,  but  containing  no  peculiar 
creed  or  dogmas. 

We  saw  Joseph  L.  Richardson,  Peter  Hughes,  and 
others,  at  Auburn.  He  interrogated  me  seriously,  and 
with  real  or  affected  alarm,  about  the  existence  of  French 
influence  in  our  councils.  The  negative  I  gave  conveyed 
a  severe  reproof 

The  rage  for  erecting  villages  is  a  perfect  mania.  It 
appreciates  the  value  of  land,  but  such  establishments  will 
not  prosper  unless  predicated  on  manufactures. 

Mr.  Coe,  of  Scipio,  had  a  full-blooded  merino  ram,  which 
he  sold  for  81,000 ; — he  has  a  full-blooded  ewe.  A  sheep 
can  be  wintered  on  400  lbs.  of  hay.  The  time  for  putting 
a  ewe  to  ram  is  about  the  1st  of  November.  The  period 
of  gestation  is  five  months.  The  sexes  must  be  separated 
from  September  to  the  proper  period.  It  appeared  to  me 
that  the  sheep  in  the  western  country  are  larger,  and  the 
hogs  worse,  than  in  other  parts  of  the  State.  It  is  said 
that  Chancellor  Livingston  has  made  $22,000  by  the  sale 
of  his  sheep  and  wool  this  year. 

David  Thomas,  a  Quaker  from  Pennsylvania,  is  settled 
on  a  farm  in  Scipio  ;  he  is  a  poet  and  great  botanist,  and 
careless  in  his  dress.     He  corresponds  with  Dr.  Barton. 

This  place  is  eleven  miles  from  Montezuma :  and  the 
landlord  contradicts  the  Ithaca  report  about  the  rapid  as- 
cension of  the  salt  well,  and  its  overflowing.     He  says 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  177 

that  the  water  has  risen  to  the  level  of  the  river,  and  is 
strongly  saturated  Vi^ith  salt.  This  shows  how  the  tongue 
of  Rumor  will  magnify  objects.  We  afterwards  heard  at 
Skaneatelas,  that  the  water  is  four  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  river ;  that  it  is  the  strongest  water  yet  discovered  ; 
and  that  it  will  be  used  next  week ; — that  one  gallon  of 
Montezuma  water  will  make  18  oz.  of  salt,  and  one  of 
Salina,  15  oz. 

August  14:th.  Being  detained  in  Auburn  yesterday,  by 
the  fitting  of  our  vehicles,  we  did  not  leave  it  until  this 
morning.  The  commodore  and  son  and  myself  traveled  in 
the  coachee ;  two  servants  and  the  baggage  went  in  the 
common  wagon.  We  were  near  two  hours  in  reaching 
Skeneatelas  village,  seven  miles,  owing  to  the  frequent  and 
heavy  rains  on  the  Seneca  turnpike.  The  morning  was 
unpleasant  and  rainy.  There  is  no  very  extraordinary 
improvement  between  Auburn  and  Skaneatelas ;  the  coun- 
try is  full  of  hills  and  swamps. 

This  village  has  a  handsome  Presbyterian  church,  but 
no  settled  minister  ;  three  taverns,  some  stores,  and  a  few 
houses.  It  is  situated  at  the  outlet  of  the  lake  of  that 
name — a  delightful  body  of  water,  sixteen  miles  by  one 
to  one  and  three-quarters.  The  outlet  runs  into  Seneca 
River,  from  which  this  place  is  distant  twelve  miles  ;  there 
are  rapids  and  falls  in  the  outlet,  and  it  is  not  navigable. 
This  lake  contains  trout,  salmon  trout,  and  white  perch  of 
a  delicious  kind ;  they  are  angled  for  at  the  depth  of  100 
feet. 

We  breakfasted  at  S.  Giddings'  tavern,  a  good  house. 
This  place,  with  four  acres,  sold  for  $4,000,  and  rents  for 
$400  per  annum.     It  is  in  the  town  of  Marcellus. 

At  Aurora,  in  Scipio,  there  is  an  incorporated  academy, 
12 


178  DE    WITT    CIJNTON. 

to  which  is  attached  a  boarding  school  for  young  ladies, 
by  Mrs.  Barnard.  Boarding  and  tuition  in  the  lower 
branches  come  to  $18  a  quarter.     Geography,  etc.,  $20. 

We  stopped  at  E.  Chapman's  six  miles  from  Skeneatelas, 
at  a  place  called  the  Nine  Mile  Creek,  where  there  is  a 
small  village,  containing  a  Presbyterian  church,  a  Post- 
office,  two  taverns,  and  several  houses.  We  found  the  road 
bad,  and  the  country  diversified  with  great  hills  and  valleys. 
A  large  valley,  which  assumes  the  name  of  the  Onondaga 
Hollow,  at  the  Court-house,  appears  to  run  all  through  this 
country,  and  to  form  a  subject  worthy  of  investigation. 
Limestone  appears  to  be  predominant  through  here.  Al- 
most all  the  day  was  showery  and  disagreeable. 

Chapman  keeps  a  book  to  record  the  names  of  travellers 
to  Niagara.  There  appeared  on  it  but  few  inconsequen- 
tial names.  He  has  also  printed  lists  of  taverns  and  dis- 
tances from  Albany  to  Buffalo,  and  from  Buffalo  to  Niagara 
He  has  omitted  the  rival  tavern  in  his  own  village. 

One  of  our  baggage  horses  failed,  and  we  stopped  at 
Lawrence's  tavern,  still  in  Marcellus,  and  two  miles  farther 
to  procure  another.  The  old  man,  the  father  of  the  tavern- 
keeper,  migrated  with  his  sons  here  in  1795,  from  Hun- 
tington, Long  Island,  on  land  purchased  for  $1  75  an 
acre,  which  is  now  worth  $20.  The  landlady  says  that 
her  father,  of  the  name  of  Whippo,  was  the  brother  of 
Mrs.  Butler,  the  mother-in-law  of  James  Desbrosses,  and 
that  she  is  the  half-sister  of  the  celebrated  Isaac  Whippo, 
and  of  John  Whippo,  tavern-keeper  in  New  York.  She 
was  ignorant  of  Desbrosses'  death,  and  appeared  to  be 
proud  of  the  connexion.  She  has  had  eight  children, 
seven  of  whom  are  alive. 

Two  miles  farther  we  procured  a  horse  at   Leonard's 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  170 

tavern  ;  Mrs.  L.  has  had  four  children  in  two  births,  two 
only  living.  Land  on  the  turnpike  is  here  worth  $20  an 
acre ;  and  back  and  unimproved,  $6  or  $7. 

Four  miles  farther  we  arrived  at  the  Court-house  of 
Onondaga  county.  From  the  West  Hill,  as  it  is  termed. 
we  had  a  grand  view  of  Onondaga  Lake,  the  village  oi' 
Salina,  the  great  valley  of  Onondaga,  and  a  great  expanse 
of  country.  We  put  up  at  Bronson's  tavern  about  5  p.m. 
The  Court-house  is  a  large  building,  but  not  painted.  A 
Post-office  and  several  houses  compose  a  little  village. 
The  country  is  very  rich,  but  not  so  well  cultivated  as  in 
Milton,  Scipio,  and  Aurelius. 

We  found  a  fire  comfortable  this  evening.  A  new  cli- 
mate  commences  somewhere  about  the  Onondaga  Hills 
to  the  north  and  east  the  temperature  of  the  air  is  colder- 
and  more  snow  falls  than  to  the  south  and  west.  May 
not  the  waters  of  Lake  Ontario,  which  do  not  freeze,  have 
a  mollifying  influence  on  the  surrounding  country  ?  And 
may  not  this  influence  be  lost  or  counteracted  by  the  pas- 
sage of  air  over  frozen  waters,  to  the  north  and  east  of 
the  above  line.  May  not  the  progress  of  the  warm  wind  of 
the  south-west  be  arrested  by  this  line  of  hills  ;  or  may 
not  its  influence  here  be  spent  and  counteracted  by  cold 
winds  from  the  north-east  and  north-west  ?  In  very  cold 
countries  some  springs  do  not  congeal.  The  absence  of 
ice  in  some  lakes  may  be  owing  to  powerful  springs,  as 
well  as  to  their  great  depth. 

In  several  places  we  saw  curious  streaks  of  flint,  em- 
bedded in  limestone  and  slate,  forming  in  some  places  a 
singular  appearance,  as  if  the  silex  was  pointed,  narrowed, 
or  worn,  by  an  aqueous  or  igneous  power. 

The  commodore  drops  the  thee  in  a  curious  way ;  Dost 


180  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

know — Hast  heard,  like  old  Briggs,  in  Cecilia.  But  the 
moment  a  Friend  appears,  this  important  pronoun  is  lib- 
erally used ;  the  teazing  interrogatories  put  by  him  to  the 
Friend  must  have  afforded  cause  of  irritation,  particularly 
when  he  asked  her  if  she  was  married. 

August  15th.  We  sent  on  the  baggage  wagon  and 
servants,  to  meet  us  at  Manlius  Square,  and  deviated  from 
the  turnpike,  in  order  to  see  the  great  manufactory  of  salt 
at  Salina,  at  which  place  we  arrived  at  eight,  having  taken 
the  wrong  road ;  we  went  at  least  four  miles  out  of  our 
way.  The  day  was  fair,  the  country  fertile,  but  the  road 
very  bad.  At  last  we  reached  the  turnpike  that  runs  near 
Mynderse's  mills,  and  runs  nearly  parallel  with  the  Seneca 
turnpike,  for  a  considerable  distance.  When  we  first 
rose  we  found  a  fire  again  comfortable.  The  distance 
from  Bronson's  to  Salina  is  five  and  a  half  miles  ;  Bron- 
son's  is  in  the  town  of  Onondaga.  Salina  is  a  town  as 
well  as  a  village.  We  had  a  sublime  view  of  the  Hollow 
this  morning  covered  with  a  thick  white  fog,  and  looking 
like  a  vast  lake,  which  it  probably  was  in  ancient  times. 

From  the  14th  June,  1809,  to  1st  January,  1810, 
there  were  inspected  at  Salina  128,282  bushels,  and  the 
revenue  arising  to  the  State  was  $4,879  44.  At  different 
times,  thirty-three  salt-lots  have  been  laid  out  under  the 
authority  of  the  State,  nineteen  at  Salina,  ten  at  Liver- 
pool, and  four  at  Geddes.  Add  to  this,  that  the  Superin- 
tendents have  usurped  the  authority  of  granting  leases,  or 
of  disposing  of  the  lands  by  contracts,  by  which  means  they 
have  created  such  confusion  and  embarrassment  that  a 
law  was  passed  last  session,  appointing  Commissioners  to 
adjust  the  business. 

At  those  different  places,  there  were  in  November  last 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  181 

eighty-two  salt-houses,  in  which  there  were  106  blocks  of 
kettles.  In  the  blocks  were  807  kettles,  generally  of  three 
sizes,  containing  in  the  whole  61,000  gallons.  The  wood 
on  the  reservation  is  cut  without  any  regard  to  economy, 
and  no  adequate  measures  have  been  taken  to  prevent  this 
evil,  or  to  provide  for  the  growth  of  young  timber.  Con- 
siderable land  here  is  reserved  by  the  State,  for  the  purpose 
of  securing  the  benefit  of  these  great  salt-springs  to  the 
public. 

Before  the  law  of  last  session,  salt  was  inspected.  For 
each  gallon,  the  lessee  was  to  pay  two  cents,  and  the  con- 
sumer four  cents,  for  every  bushel  of  salt.  The  salt  was 
inspected  by  the  Superintendent;  but  this  being  found 
useless  and  nominal,  the  inspection  of  salt  was  abolished 
by  that  law,  and  the  manufacturer  was  made  his  own  in- 
spector. He  is  to  provide  a  half  bushel,  to  be  approved 
by  the  Superintendent,  and  to  be  used  in  measuring  his 
salt,  and  is  to  brand  his  name  at  full  length  on  the  head  of 
each  barrel  put  up  by  him  ;  and  also  marks  on  it  the  tare 
of  the  barrel,  and  the  weight  of.  salt,  fifty-six  pounds  of 
which  shall  be  estimated  a  bushel.  And  every  future  les- 
see or  manufacturer  must  erect  at  least  two  kettles,  con- 
taining 340  gallons,  on  each  lot  leased  by  him,  and  shall 
pay  quarterly  an  annual  rent  of  five  cents  per  gallon,  for 
each  kettle  employed.  Salt  cannot  be  sold  by  any  manu- 
facturer at  the  springs  for  more  than  six  and  a-half  cents 
per  bushel.  The  Superintendent  of  the  salt-springs  is  an 
office  of  great  importance.  His  salary  is  respectable. 
He  is  appointed  by  the  Legislature,  and  gives  security  in 
the  sum  of  $25,000  for  his  good  behavior  in  office.  The 
style  of  his  office  defines  his  duties.  He  is  to  report  within 
the  first  ten  days  of  every  session,  to  the  Legislature,  the 


182  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

names  of  the  possessors  of  lots ;  the  number  of  houses  on 
each,  the  number  of  blocks  of  kettles  in  each  house,  the 
number  of  kettles  in  each  block,  the  capacity  of  each  ket- 
tle, and  the  quantity  of  salt  manufactured  for  the  year. 

Salina  is  a  short  distance  from  the  Onondaga  Lake. 
Boats  come  up  to  the  factories.  It  contains  about  eighty 
houses.     Liverpool  and  Geddes  are  within  three  miles. 

One  man  can  attend  a  block  of  eight  or  ten  kettles. 
Each  block  consumes  two  cords  of  wood  a  day,  through 
two  fire-places.  Each  kettle  may  make  three  bushels  a 
day.  It  takes  sixty  or  ninety  gallons  of  the  brine  to  make 
a  bushel  of  salt.  The  process  of  manufacturing  is  simple. 
The  water  is  exposed  to  a  hot  fire ;  and  when  it  is  suf- 
ficiently boiled  down,  the  salt  is  taken  out  by  a  large  ladle 
and  put  into  a  basket,  from  whence  the  water  exudes  into 
the  kettles.  The  ladle  is  kept,  during  the  whole  process, 
in  the  kettle,  and  it  is  said,  collects  all  the  feculent  matter, 
which  appears  to  be  a  species  of  gypsum.  Most  of  the 
brine  is  forced  up  by  hand  pumps,  and  conveyed  by  lead- 
ers to  the  kettles.  There  are  two  hydraulic  machines  that 
pump  up  the  water.  One  of  them  is  worked  by  water, 
conveyed  by  a  small  acqueduct  that  extends  two  miles. 
By  digging  a  pit  anywhere  in  the  marsh,  salt-water  is 
found.  This  is  an  unhealthy  place.  In  entering  it,  we 
saw  an  uninclosed  burying  ground,  which  indicates  great 
mortality.  Three  of  the  Superintendents  have  died.  The 
people  complain  already  of  dysentery  ;  but  the  sickly 
season  has  not  yet  arrived. 

We  breakfasted  at  a  large  brick  hotel,  three  stories  high, 
kept  by  E.  Roe.  It  is  owned  by  one  Aldest,  a  salt  mer- 
chant, and  rents  for  $600  per  annum.  There  is  a  great 
resort  of  strangers  to  this  place,  summer  as  well  as  winter, 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  183 

to  speculate  in  salt.    Here  we  were  much  amused  at  seeing 
a  pretty  girl  of  seventeen  smoking  segars. 

i{  salt  is  manufactured  on  the  great  Kenhawa,  it  can- 
not be  conveyed  with  facility  to  Pittsburgh,  because  the 
river  is  full  of  rapids.  The  information  that  Gerge  Kibbe 
gave  at  Oswego,  about  a  great  salt  establishment  there, 
and  that  it  was  agreed  to  undersell  Salina  merchants,  by 
vending  it  at  seven  dollars  per  barrel,  was  considered  by 
Judge  Porter,  of  Grand-Niagara,  and  Mr.  Rees,  of  Geneva, 
as  fabulous,  and  as  a  speculating  scheme  to  prevent  com- 
petition with  him,  in  the  Pittsburgli  mai'ket,  in  which  he  is 
a  dealer  in  salt. 

Mr.  Rees  is  concerned  in  the  Galen  Salt  Works,  and 
showed  us  at  Geneva  a  specimen  of  basket-salt  manufac- 
tured there,  superior  to  any  imported.  About  a  mile  from 
Salina,  we  crossed  the  inlet  of  Onondaga  Lake,  which  is 
a  considerable  stream. 

Handsome  furniture  is  made  in  the  western  country,  of 
curled  maple,  wild  cherry,  and  black  walnut,  some  of 
which  is  superior  to  mahogany.  Some  of  the  furniture  is 
inlaid,  or  veneered  with  white  wood,  in  New  York. 

Besides  the  usual  indications  of  clean  taverns,  you  may 
feel  confident  when  you  see  decent  girls  neatly  dressed. 

Yankees  here  rarely  finish  the  inside  of  their  houses. 
They  almost  always  have,  except  in  the  first  stages  of  set- 
tlement, a  specious,  imposing  exterior. 

We  were  pleased  with  seeing  so  many  houses  painted. 
It  adds  much  to  their  beauty  as  well  as  duration.  There 
is  a  painter  at  Skeneatelas. 

Five  and  a-half  miles  from  Salina,  Butternut  creek,  a 
fine  stream  flows  near  a  little  village  in  Manlius,  without 
a  name,  which  has  a  school-house,  store,  bark -mill,  and 


184  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

tanneries,  and  a  few  houses.  B.  Booth,  the  tavern-keeper, 
who  removed  from  Orange  county,  purchased  100  acres 
here  last  spring,  for  fourteen  dollars  an  acre.  The  road 
we  travelled  is  no  turnpike  east  from  Salina,  although  so 
delineated  in  JMcCalpin's  map.  It  is  good  in  dry  seasons, 
but  is  now  bad.  The  country  is  rich,  pretty  well  settled, 
and  is  covered  with  fine  woods  of  oak. 

Eleven  miles  from  Sahna  we  arrived  at  Trowbridge's 
tavern,  in  Manlius  Square,  at  twelve  o'clock.  We  reach- 
ed the  Seneca  turnpike,  a  little  west  of  the  Square,  so  that 
we  missed  a  sight  of  the  country  on  the  Seneca  turnpike 
from  the  Court-house  to  this  place,  being  twelve  miles, 
and  went  round  seventeen  miles  by  Salina ;  but  having 
gone  four  miles  astray,  we  travelled  twenty-one  miles  this 
day. 

We  dined  at  Trowbridge's  tavern,  a  tolerable  house.  I 
saw  Perry  Childs,  Esq.,  here,  who  says  that  the  site  of  the 
Court-house  is  fixed  at  Cazenovia,  and  that  no  one  is  dis- 
pleased with  the  position  except  Peter  Smith,  the  first 
Judge,  who  is  trying  to  excite  disturbance.  Cazenovia  is 
eight  miles  from  this  place.  Fourteen  roads  from  different 
quarters  run  into  it.  It  lies  on  a  beautiful  lake,  six  miles 
long  and  one  mile  wide.  A  republican  paper,  called  the 
Cazenovia  Pilot,  is  printed  here.  Peter  Smith  has  esta- 
blished a  Federal  newspaper  at  Peterborough.  The 
Manlius  Times,  a  Federal  paper,  is  published  by  Leonard 
Kellogg,  at  Manlius  Square. 

Manlius  Square  contains  about  forty  houses.  A  hand- 
some stream  runs  near  it.  It  is  partly  on  97  Manlius,  and 
another  lot  claimed  by  Capt.  Brewster,  of  the  Revenue 
Cutter,  which  is  now  in  a  course  of  litigation.  The 
Seneca  turnpike  ;  the  Great  Western  turnpike  by  Cherry 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  185 

Valley  and  Cazenovia;  a  road  to  Oxford,  and  the  road  to 
Salina  by  which  we  came,  run  into  this  place.  Two 
quarter-acre  lots  which  corner  on  the  Cazenovia  and 
Seneca  turnpikes,  are  worth  $500  each. 

We  set  off  from  this  place  at  four,  and  arrived  at  Dr. 
Stockton's  tavern,  fifteen  miles  in  Sullivan,  on  the  verge 
of  the  Oneida  Reservation,  at  eight  o'clock.  We  met 
Asher  Moore  and  Dr.  Kemp,  of  New  York,  on  their  way 
to  Niagara,  who  mentioned  the  death  of  the  Lieutenant- 
Governor,  on  Saturday  a-week.  Four  miles  from  Man- 
lius  Square  we  entered  the  town  of  Sullivan,  in  Madison 
county.  About  five  miles  we  passed  the  Chittenango 
Creek,  a  large  fine  body  of  water  which  unites  with  the 
Canaseraga  Creek. 

Seven  miles  from  the  Square  is  the  Canaseraga  Hollow, 
which,  like  the  Onondaga  Hollow,  is  surrounded  by  very 
high  hills.  The  creek  of  that  name  runs  through  it,  and 
falls  into  the  Oneida  Lake  fourteen  miles  distant.  It  is 
not  so  large  as  the  Chittenango  where  we  passed  it.  The 
deep  spring  is  three  and  a-half  miles  west  from  this  place 
on  a  hill  near  the  road.  A  great  battle  was  fought  near 
here,  during  the  Revolutionary  war,  between  the  Ameri- 
cans and  Indians,  in  which  the  latter  were  defeated.  The 
land  on  the  turnpike  here  sells  from  $100  to  $125  per  acre. 
A  farm  a  mile  distant  is  estimated  at  $16  an  acre.  Here 
are  fine  flats  owned  by  the  heirs  of  John  Dennie,  a  hybrid, 
or  half-Indian,  the  son  of  a  Frenchman  from  Illinois,  and 
a  squaw.  Cady's  tavern  where  we  stopped  to  rest,  is  a 
good  two-story  house,  and  was  built  by  him,  and  close  by 
is  his  original  log-house.  He  left  a  widow  and  several 
children. 

From  this  place  to  Stockton's  we  found  the  country 


186  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

fertile  and  uncommonly  well  settled  ;  good  houses,  taverns, 
stores,  mechanics'  shops,  farm-houses,  composing  in  some 
places  a  street,  and  every  indication  of  rising  prosperity. 

August  IGth.  Slept  at  Stockton's  last  night,  and  break- 
fasted there  this  morning.  We  found  it  the  best  tavern 
on  the  road.  He  lives  in  Lenox,  Madison  County,  and 
migrated  from  Princeton,  New  Jersey.  He  is  styled  Doc- 
tor. He  lives  on  the  borders  of  the  Oneida  Reservation, 
twenty-five  miles  from  Utica,  and  fourteen  miles  from 
Lake  Oneida.  Opposite  to  him  is  the  settlement  of  the 
Oneida  Indians  called  the  Squalone  village ;  and  a  little 
west  is  the  Squalone  Creek,  a  handsome  stream,  which 
empties  in  the  Canaseraga. 

We  found  the  morning  chilly,  although  we  set  out  after 
seven.  The  change  of  climate  from  the  Onondaga  Hills 
is  very  perceptible.  I  experienced  this  kind  of  weather 
last  summer  at  Cherry  Valley. 

The  Seneca  turnpike  passes  through  the  Oneida  Reser 
vation,  which  is  five  miles  from  east  to  west.  Oneida 
Creek  is  a  fine  stream,  about  eight  miles  from  Oneida 
Lake.  Salmon  run  up  it  eight  miles  higher,  as  far  as 
Stockbridge.  At  the  end  of  the  bridge  over  it  there 
stood  a  beautiful  Indian  girl,  offering  apples  for  sale  to  the 
persons  that  passed.  The  Missionary  church,  in  which 
Mr.  Kirkland  formerly  preached,  and  an  Indian  school- 
house,  are  here.  We  saw  Indian  boys  trying  to  kill  birds  ; 
others  driving  cattle  over  plains.  Some  Indians  plow- 
ing with  oxen,  and  at  the  same  time  their  heads  orna- 
mented with  Avhite  feathers ;  some  driving  a  wagon,  and 
the  women  milking  and  churning, — all  the  indications  of 
incipient  civilization. 

About  four  miles  from  Stockton's  we  stopped  at  Skenan- 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  187 

do's  house.  He  was  formerly  the  Chief  Sachem  of  all  the 
Oneidas;  but  since  the  nation  has  been  spht  up  into 
Christian  and  Pagan  parties,  he  is  only  acknowledged  by 
the  former.  The  Chief  of  the  latter  is  Capt.  Peter,  a  very 
sensible  man.  The  morals  of  the  Pagans  are  better  than 
those  of  the  Christians.  The  former  still  practice  some 
of  their  ancient  superstitions.  On  the  first  new  moon  of 
every  new  year,  they  sacrifice  a  white  dog  to  the  Great 
Spirit,  and  devote  six  days  to  celebrate  the  commence- 
ment of  the  year.  The  Christian  party  are  more  nume- 
rous, by  one  hundred,  than  the  Pagan.  They  are  entirely 
separated  in  their  territory,  as  well  as  in  their  God. 

Skenando  is  one  hundred  and  one  years  old,  and  his 
wife  is  seventy-four.  He  is  weak,  and  can  hardly  walk. 
His  face  is  good  and  benevolent,  and  not  much  wrinkled. 
He  is  entirely  blind ;  but  his  hair  is  not  gray.  He  smokes ; 
and  can  converse  a  little  in  English.  He  was  highly  de- 
lighted with  an  elegant  silver  pipe,  that  was  given  to  him 
by  Gov.  Tompkins.  His  wife  was  afflicted  with  the  bron- 
chocele,  or  goitre.  It  is  like  a  wen,  promulging  from  the 
neck,  near  the  thorax.  There  were  some  cases  near  Utica 
some  years  ago.  A  number  of  his  children  and  grand- 
children were  present.  His  daughter  looked  so  old  that 
at  first  I  took  her  for  his  wife.  Some  of  the  females  were 
handsome.  His  house  is  one  hundred  yards  from  the 
road,  situated  on  the  margin  of  a  valley,  through  which  a 
pleasant  stream  flows.  It  is  a  small  frame  building,  paint- 
ed red ;  and  adjoining  it  is  a  log  house.  Before  the  settle- 
ment of  the  country  he  kept  a  tavern,  like  the  first  Gover- 
nor of  Vermont,  for  the  accommodation  of  travellers. 
There  were  four  bedsteads  in  the  room,  composed  of 
coarse  W'ooden  bunks,  so  called,  and  covered  by  blankets 


188  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

and  pillows,  instead  of  beds.  A  large  kettle  of  corn  was 
boiling,  which  was  the  only  breakfast  the  family  appeared 
to  have.  It  was  occasionally  dipped  out  from  the  pot  into 
a  basket,  from  which  the  children  ate.  The  fm'niture 
and  farming  utensils  were  coarse,  and  those  of  civilized 
persons. 

His  eldest  son,  Thomas,  came  in,  spruced-up  like  an 
Indian  beau.  The  expression  of  his  countenance  is  very 
malignant ;  but  his  features  are  handsome.  He  ate  out  of 
the  basket.  It  is  said,  that  on  his  father's  demise,  he  will 
succeed  him  as  Chief  Sachem  ;  but  if  I  understand  their 
system  right,  the  office  of  Sachem  is  personal,  and  not  he- 
reditary. It  is  said  that  Skenando  is  opulent,  for  an  Indi- 
an ;  and  that  Thomas  has  frequently  attempted  to  kill  him, 
with  a  view  of  enjoying  his  property ;  alledging,  too,  that 
his  father  is  not  liberal,  and  that  he  has  lived  long  enough. 
Such  is  the  mode  of  living  of  the  first  Chief  of  an  Indian 
nation.  In  England  he  would  be  recognized  as  a  king — as 
were  the  five  Mohawk  Chiefs  that  went  there  with  Col. 
Schuyler,  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne,  and  who  are  men- 
tioned in  the  Spectator. 

Abraham  Hatfield  and  his  wife  (Quakers),  have  resided 
here  sometime ;  having  been  sent  by  that  Society  princi- 
pally with  a  view  to  teach  the  savages  agriculture ;  for 
which  they  receive  $200  a-year.  Hatfield  was  sick  ;  his 
wife  appeared  to  be  a  kind,  good  woman ;  well  qualified 
for  the  duties  allotted  to  her.  They  are  amply  provided 
with  oxen  and  the  instruments  of  agriculture,  to  adminis- 
ter to  the  wants  and  instruction  of  the  Indians.  The 
Oneida's  are  much  attached  to  the  Quakers.  They  teach 
morals — not  dogmas — agriculture,  and  the  arts  of  civilized 
life.     Those  of  England  have  divided  £8,000  among  the 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  189 

Friends  of  Baltimore,  Philadelphia,  and  New  York,  in  order 
to  ameliorate  the  condition  of  the  Indians.  The  means 
adopted  by  the  Quakers  are  the  only  competent  ones  that 
can  be  adopted.  They  indicate  a  knowledge  of  human 
nature  ;  and  if  the  Indians  are  ever  rescued  effectually  from 
the  evils  of  savage  life,  it  will  be  through  their  instrumen- 
tality. The  Missionary  Societies  have  been  of  little  use 
in  this  nation.  The  morals  of  the  Christians  are  worse 
than  those  of  the  Pagans.  The  clergyman  at  Stockbridge, 
of  the  name  of  Sergeant,  notwithstanding  the  goodness  of 
his  intentions,  has  not  been  able  to  effect  much. 

In  this  village  we  observed  several  very  old  Indian  wo- 
men ;  and  there  was  an  old  Indian,  named  the  Blacksmith, 
recently  dead,  older  than  Skenando,  who  used  to  say  that 
he  was  at  a  treaty  with  William  Penn.  There  was  a  boy 
far  gone  in  a  consumption — which  was  a  prevalent  disease 
among  them.  Last  winter  they  were  severely  pressed  by 
famine  ;  and,  admonished  by  experience,  they  intend  to  put 
in  considerable  wheat — to  which  they  have  hitherto  been 
opposed — and  they  now  have  large  crops  of  corn.  They 
appear  to  be  well  provided  with  neat  cattle  and  hogs. 
Some  of  the  Indians  are  very  squalid  and  filthy.  I  saw 
several  take  lice  from  their  heads.  They  evince  great 
parental  fondness,  and  are  much  pleased  with  any  atten- 
tion to  their  children.  An  Indian  child  in  Skenando's 
house  took  hold  of  my  cane :  to  divert  him  I  gave  him 
some  small  money ;  the  mother  appeared  much  pleased, 
and  immediately  offered  me  apples  to  eat — the  best  thing 
she  had  to  give. 

In  passing  the  Oneida  Reservation  we  saw  some  white 
settlers,  and  it  is  not  a  little  surprising  that  they  receive 
any  encouragement  from  the  Indians,  considering  how 


190  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

often  they  have  been  coaxed  out  of  their  lands  by  their 
white  brethren.    I  shall  give  a  few  prominent  illustrations. 

1.  Peter  Smith,  a  former  clerk  of  Abraham  Herring — 
he  established  a  store  in  their  country — called  a  son 
Skenando,  after  their  Chief,  and  by  wheedling  the 
Legislature  as  well  as  the  Indians,  he  has  succeeded  in 
acquiring  an  immense  body  of  excellent  land  at  a  low 
price,  and  he  is  now  very  opulent. 

2.  Michael  Wemple,  a  Dutch  blacksmith,  sent  among 
them  by  Gen.  Washington. 

3.  James  Dean,  formerly  a  toy-maker,  interpreter  among 
them. 

4.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Kirkland,  missionary  and  interpreter. 
Lastly,  Angel  De  Ferriere.    He  left  France  in  the  time 

of  Robespiere.  His  mother  is  rich,  and  has  written  for 
him  to  return  to  his  country ;  but  he  declines  on  account, 
as  he  says,  of  his  red  wife.  He  first  lived  with  Mr.  Linck- 
laen,  at  Cazenovia ;  and  at  sometimes  exhibited  symptoms 
of  mental  derangement.  He  then  went  to  reside  among 
the  Oneidas,  and  married  the  daughter  of  Louis  Dennie, 
before-mentioned,  by  a  squaw — a  w  ell-behaved  woman  of 
civilized  manners  and  habits,  and  resembling  an  Indian  in 
nothing  but  color.  He  has  by  her  three  children.  He  has 
been  among  the  Indians  twelve  years.  Being  a  man  of 
genteel  manners,  sensible,  and  well-informed,  he  acquired 
a  great  influence  over  them,  and  has  prevailed  on  them  to 
confer  on  him  donations  of  valuable  land — which  have  been 
sanctioned  by  the  State.  At  the  last  session,  the  Chris- 
tian party  sold  for  $3,050  02  and  an  annuity,  a  part  of 
their  Reservation,  and  in  the  treaty  made  with  them  they 

appropriated acres  for  De  Ferriere.     He  owns  1700 

acres  of  the  best  land — a  great  deal  of  it  on  the  turnpike — 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  191 

the  tavern  occupied  by  Dr.  Stockton,  a  large  two-story 
house,  grist  mill  and  saw  mill  on  the  creek,  and  distillery, 
and  is  supposed  to  be  worth  $50,000.  He  lives  in  a  log- 
house  about  a  half  mile  from  Stockton's  ;  and,  I  am  told,  is 
always  involved  in  law  suits.  At  present,  he  has  no  more 
particular  intercourse  with  the  Indians  than  any  other  white 
in  their  vicinity.  His  father-in-law,  Louis  Dannie,  is  quite 
proud  of  his  opulent  son-in-law.  He  is  a  savage  in  all 
respects ;  and  says  it  is  hard  times  with  the  Indians ;  the 
game  is  all  gone — that  he  recollects  that  deer  were  as 
thick  as  leaves  in  Schoharie  before  it  was  settled.  That 
country  belonged  to  the  Mohawks.  John  Dennie,  before- 
mentioned,  was  Louis's  son.  His  wife  was  of  the  half- 
blood,  and  did  not  treat  him  well.  He  was  addicted  to  in- 
temperance, and  their  children  are  said  to  be  the  worst- 
tempered  of  any  in  the  nation. 

August  16th,  1810,  continued.  After  the  Oneida  Re- 
servation we  entered  the  town  of  Vernon,  in  which  three 
glass-houses  are  in  contemplation ;  one  has  been  in  opera- 
tion some  time.  It  is  rather  to  be  regretted  that  this  busi- 
ness is  overdone.  Besides  the  glass  introduced  from  Pitts- 
burgh, and  from  a  glass-house  in  Pennsylvania,  on  the 
borders  of  Orange  county,  and  the  glass  imported  from 
Europe,  there  are  ten  manufactories  in  the  State  already, 
or  about  to  be  established — one  in  Guilderland,  Albany 
county  ;  one  in  Rensselaer  county  ;  three  in  Vernon,  Onei- 
da county  ;  one  in  Utica,  do. ;  one  in  Rome,  do. ;  one  in 
Peterborough,  jMadison  county ;  one  in  Geneva,  Ontario 
county ;  one  in  Woodstock,  Ulster  county. 

The  village  of  Mount  Vernon  is  eight  miles  from  Stock- 
ton's.    It  is  by  a  fine  creek  and  celebrated  mills  of  that 


192  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

name,  and  has  a  Post-office,  several  stores,  and   about 
twenty  houses. 

We  passed  on  the  road  Elias  Hicks,  a  Quaker  preacher, 
Isaac  Hicks  and  another  Friend,  Mrs.  Haydock  and  an- 
other female  Friend,  on  a  mission  from  a  yearly  meeting 
of  New  York,  to  open  a  half-yearly  meeting  in  York,  Up- 
per Canada. 

We  dined  at  Noah  Leavins'  tavern,  in  Westmoreland, 
twelve  miles  from  Utica.  He  gave  for  this  house  and  a 
farm  of  150  acres,  last  May,  85,000.  His  house  is  well 
kept ;  but  he  says  he  is  determined  to  make  it  among  the 
best  on  the  road.  We  advised  him  to  buy  a  demijohn  of 
the  best  Madeira  wine,  $25  ;  two  dozen  claret,  $20 ;  a  cask 
of  porter,  $15  ;  and  half  a  box  of  segars,  $9  ;  and  to  have 
these  for  select  guests,  who  understood  their  value,  and 
that  his  house  would  soon  acquire  a  great  name.  That 
he  ought  to  have  his  house  painted ;  to  establish  an  ice- 
house, and  to  be  very  particular  in  having  good  and  clean 
beds ;  for  that  after  all  a  traveler  was  perhaps  more  solici- 
tous about  good  lodging  than  anything  else.  His  vv^ife, 
although  from  Connecticut,  in  dress  looks  like  and  appears 
to  be  a  Dutchwoman.  This  shows  the  power  of  imitation ; 
she  resided  in  a  Dutch  village  for  some  time. 

The  country  out  of  the  Oneida  Reservation  to  this 
place  is  fertile,  no  bad  land,  and  well  settled ;  the  road 
good,  and  as  populous  as  a  village. 

About  a  mile  from  Leavins'  we  passed  a  church  ;  a  plain 
framed  building,  not  painted.  We  saw  in  some  places 
men  pounding  limestone,  with  which  to  imbed  the  turn- 
pike, and  part  of  the  way  this  has  already  been  accom- 
plished, and  resembles  the  road  between  Bristol  and  Phila- 
delphia.    This  great  turnpike,  from  Canandaigua  to  Utica, 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  193 

is  the  vital  principle  of  the  latter  place,  and  yet  it  has 
been  so  recently  made,  that  in  some  places  you  can  per- 
ceive the  remains  of  stumps.  Nine  miles  from  Utica  we 
passed  the  Oriskany  Creek,  a  considerable  stream.  Six  or 
seven  miles  from  Utica,  there  is  a  string  of  houses  extend- 
ing a  considerable  distance,  forming  a  village  called  the 
Middle  Settlement.  Three  or  four  miles  from  Utica  is 
New  Hartford,  a  flourishing  and  prosperous  village  ;  a 
fine  stream  runs  by  it,  on  which  are  mills,  and  it  contains 
a  Presbyterian  church.  As  you  pass  to  the  east  end  of 
the  village,  and  look  up  the  valley  to  the  south,  you  behold 
a  delightful,  populous  country. 

In  reflecting  on  Louis  Dennie's  information  about  the 
Spanish  Expedition,  two  reflections  occurred  : — 

Are  there  any  Indian  Forts  north  of  Oswego,  or  east  of 
Manlius,  or  generally  speaking  out  of  the  line  designated 
by  him  ? 

May  not  the  Spaniards  have  come  into  Canada,  and  so 
on  to  Oswego,  by  the  way  of  the  Mississippi,  up  the  Fox 
or  Illinois  River,  and  returned  by  the  Ohio,  independently 
of  the  usual  route  by  the  St.  Lawrence  ? 

We  passed  a  school  taught  by  a  young  woman  ;  this  is 
a  common  practice  in  the  western  country. 

August  llth.  Utica.  The  day  being  rainy  we  spent  it 
at  Utica ;  we  put  up  at  Bellinger's  inn,  but  I  staid  at 
James  S.  Kip's,  Esq.,  who  has  a  very  large  elegant  stone 
house,  that  cost  ^9,000.  I  saw  at  his  house  Walter 
Bowne,  on  his  way  to  Niagara ;  Mr.  Hunt,  the  cashier  of 
the  bank  ;  Mr.  Arthur  Breese,  Mr.  Bloodgood,  Mr.  Walker, 
the  printer.  Dr.  Wolcott,  Judge  Cooper,  and  several 
others.  And  this  day  Mr.  Kip  had  to  dinner,  besides  our 
company,  Walker,  Breese,  Bloodgood.  and  Brodhead. 
13 


194  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

The  report  of  the  quarrel  between  Jackson  and  Morris 
had  reached  this  place  much  exaggerated ;  and  my  slip- 
ping into  Wood  Creek,  was  represented  as  a  hair-breadth 
escape.  The  death  of  the  Lieutenant-Governor  was  con- 
firmed here  :  this  worthy  man  took  his  final  departure  on 
the  eighth  of  August,  in  the  fullness  of  years  and  honor. 
He  had  just  engaged  his  quarters  at  Albany  for  the  ensuing 
legislative  campaign. 

A  map  of  the  northern  part  of  this  State  was  published 
in  1801,  by  Amos  Lay  and  Arthur  J.  Stansbury,  and  said 
to  be  compiled  from  actual  survey. 

Botany  is  cultivated  in  the  Western  District.  A  man 
at  Palmyra  has  established  a  garden,  in  which  he  culti- 
vates poppy,  palm  a  Christi,  and  a  number  of  our  native 
plants. 

It  is  not  perhaps  too  exaggerated  to  say,  that  the  worst 
lands  in  the  western  country  are  nearly  equal  to  the  best 
in  the  Atlantic  parts  of  the  State.  There  appears  to  be 
a  great  deal  of  alluvial  land  in  the  former. 

Ashes  boiled  down  in  order  to  be  portable,  are  termed 
Mack  salts,  and  are  purchased  by  the  country  merchants, 
in  order  to  manufacture  into  potash. 

I  amused  myself  to-day  in  reading  a  curious  speech, 
delivered  before  a  proposed  Agricultural  Society  in  Whites- 
town,  and  published  in  1795,  by  F.  Adrian  Vanderkemp, 
an  emigrant  from  Holland,  abounding  with  bad  style,  but 
containing  some  good  ideas.  He  proposes  premiums  for 
certain  'dissertations,  and  among  others,  "  for  the  best 
anatomical  or  historical  account  of  the  moose  $50,  or  for 
bringing  one  in  alive  $60."  The  moose  now  exists  in  the 
northern  parts  of  the  State,  as  does  the  elk  in  the  southern. 
Dr.  Wolcotl,  the  Post-master  at  Utica,  says  that  out  of 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  195 

twelve  cases  of  Spotted  fever  which  came  under  his  cog- 
nizance, he  has  cured  eleven  by  the  speedy  application  of 
tonics,  such  as  bark  and  wine  ;  that  he  considers  it  a  dis- 
ease rising  from  specific  contagion,  and  operating  by  a 
dissolution  of  the  fluids. 

Seneca  River  is  the  best  for  navigation ;  Oneida  the 
next ;  Wood  Creek  the  next,  and  the  Mohawk  the  worst. 
A  canal  can  be  made  along  the  valley  of  the  latter  for 
$2,000  a  mile. 

Mr.  Kip  has  a  pump  which  works  with  amazing  facility  ; 
the  handle  is  iron,  and  goes  by  a  lever  on  the  side,  instead 
of  the  center  of  the  pump.  It  would  be  very  useful  in 
New  York. 

Whiskey  manufactured  from  grain,  is  the  purest  spirit 
drank  in  this  country,  and  when  strained  through  charcoal 
is  freed  from  empyreumatic  oil. 

I  met  Joe  Winter  here,  who  is  styled  Judge  Winter 
when  over  the  brandy  bottle  with  his  low  companions. 
He  told  me  that  he  owns  a  farm  at  Springfield,  in  Otsego 
county,  worth  $4,000  ;  that  he  brought  an  action  of  tres- 
pass by  Seeley,  an  attorney  of  Cherry  Valley,  and  was 
non-prossed,  owing  to  his  negligence  ;  and  that  this  farm 
is  advertised  to  be  sold  for  the  costs,  on  Monday  next, 
which  cannot  exceed  $20  ;  that  he  has  had  no  notice  of  it 
from  the  Sheriff",  with  whom  he  is  intimate,  or  his  attorney  ; 
and  that  in  all  probability  the  property  would  have  been 
designedly  sacrificed,  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  zeal  of  a 
friend,  who  gave  him  notice  at  Utica. 

Part  of  the  capital  of  Boston  has  been  transferred  to 
Montreal,  and  particularly  two  rich  commercial  houses. 
Last  year  1300  barrels  of  potash  were  sent  by  three  mer- 


196  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

chants  from  Black  River  to  Utica.     This  year  not  one — 
it  has  all  gone  to  Montreal. 

August  18th.  We  left  Utica  at  six  o'clock,  in  a 
coachee  and  baggage  wagon,  for  which  we  were  to  pay 
$50  to  Albany,  and  breakfasted  at  Maynard's  tavern,  an 
excellent  house,  fifteen  miles  from  Utica,  in  the  village  of 
Herkimer. 

On  the  north  side  of  the  Mohawk  we  entered  the  Mo- 
hawk and  Schenectady  turnpike,  which  reaches  seventy- 
eight  miles  to  Schenectady.  The  country  to  Herkimer  is 
pleasant  and  fertile.  You  pass  along  the  river.  On  the 
south  side  there  is  a  good  free  road.  The  turnpike  is  in- 
excusably bad,  as  there  are  great  quantities  of  gravel  and 
stone  near  the  road,  which  leads  along  elevated  ground,  to 
avoid  the  flats. 

Near  Herkimer  we  saw  an  encampment  of  Indians, 
manufacturing  brooms  and  baskets.  No  other  Indians, 
except  the  Stockbridge  and  Brothertown  Indians,  make 
brooms.  Stockbridge  is  tw^enty-five  miles  oft'.  These 
Indians  are  now  the  gipsies  of  our  country. 

Herkimer  is  a  flourishing  village,  about  a  mile  from  the 
Mohawk.  It  contains  several  taverns  and  large  stores,  a 
Post-office,  church,  the  Court-house  of  the  county,  and 
about  fifty  houses.  A  lot  on  the  main  street  can  scarcely 
be  purchased  at  all,  but  is  worth  $500.  A  half-acre  lot 
on  the  back  streets  sells  for  $200.  The  fine  flat  or  bot- 
tom lands  sell  from  $50  to  $80  per  acre. 

The  traveling  to  Niagara  is  very  great.  Besides  the 
ordinary  stage,  we  met  two  extra  stages,  crowded  with 
travelers.  One  contained  young  gentlemen  from  the 
South,  and  an  Englishman,  recently  arrived.  The  strut 
of  self- consequence,  taking  notes  and  observations,  and 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  197 

poring  over  maps,  were  amusing.     They  inquired  after 
us,  and  stared  witii  eagerness. 

We  passed  West  Canada  Creek,  a  fine  stream,  a  mile 
east  of  Herkimer.  East  Canada  Creek  is  about  as  large. 
The  distance  between  them  is  thirteen  miles. 

The  pine  flats  at  Herkimer,  called  the  German  Flats, 
contain  several  thousand  acres.  After  leaving  this  place 
we  entered  on  a  ridge,  more  elevated  than  the  Genesee 
Ridge  road.  On  one  side  was  the  Mohawk,  on  the  other 
a  small  stream.  This  peninsular  road  extends  two  or 
three  miles. 

We  entered  the  Little  Falls  between  the  river  and 
canal.  Little  Falls  is  seven  miles  from  Herkimer.  We 
dined  at  Pardee's,  on  East  Canada  Creek,  seven  miles 
from  Little  Falls.  At  this  house  we  lodged,  in  ascending 
the  river.     The  farmers  are  now  cutting  their  oats. 

Oppenheim  church  is  four  miles  east  of  Pardee's,  and 
Palatine  church  six  miles.  The  latter  is  a  stone  building, 
erected  in  1770,  and  Majors  Cochran  and  Fox  reside  in 
its  vicinity.  Gayoga  Creek,  a  fine  stream,  enters  into  the 
Mohawk  at  this  place.  A  string  of  taverns  is  to  be  ob- 
served all  along  this  road. 

The  turnpike  was  hitherto  so  bad  that  two  gates  were 
thrown  open.  We  met  three  men  with  two  yoke  of  oxen, 
drawing  a  machine  for  smoothing  the  road.  It  filled  up 
the  ruts  as  rapidly  as  the  oxen  could  draw  it.  This,  and 
the  scraper,  afford  great  facilities  for  making  and  mending 
roads.  The  river  affords  excellent  ground  for  a  canal,  on 
one  side  or  the  other. 

Nine  miles  from  Palatine  we  put  up  at  D.  Wandaler's 
inn,  where  we  had  lodged  in  coming  up. 

There  is  a  lead  mine  opposite  to  this  place,  on  the  right 


198  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

or  south  side  of  the  river,  which  is  said  to  furnish  excel- 
lent lead,  and  to  be  worked  by  a  company.  It  was 
formerly  resorted  to  by  the  Indians,  and  the  old  white 
people  knew  it,  but  it  had  been  forgotten  until  recently 
discovered. 

August  19th.  We  saw  at  this  place  a  young  porcu- 
pine, which  was  caught  near  Lyons,  in  Ontario  county. 
The  quills  are  very  sharp,  and  seem  to  be  fastened  to  the 
hair  or  bristles  of  the  animal.  They  cannot  be  ejacu- 
lated. The  tail  appears  to  be  the  principal  seat  of  them. 
The  head  is  like  that  of  the  skunk,  and  the  body  is  about 
the  size  of  the  ground-hog.  The  claws  are  formed  for 
climbing.  It  was  exhibited  as  a  show  by  an  old  man  who 
was  carrying  it  to  Chester,  in  Pennsylvania,  where  he  had 
engaged  to  sell  it  for  $50.  One  was  caught  in  a  meadow 
at  this  place,  a  few  years  ago ;  and  at  Lewiston  a  dog  was 
covered  with  the  quills  of  the  animal. 

We  passed  the  mountain  called  the  Nose.  The  country 
near  it  is  covered  with  great  ant-hills.  The  rocks  are 
composed  of  granite  and  limestone — the  mountains  are 
very  steep. 

We  breakfasted  at  Major  Henry  Fonda's,  in  Johnstown, 
eight  miles  from  De  Wandaler's,  and  four  from  the  village 
of  Johnstown.  This  road  goes  along  the  Mohawk  the 
whole  distance.  A  considerable  stream  called  the  Canada 
Creek,  enters  the  river  a  little  west  of  Fonda's.  The 
name  of  Canada  Creek  is  given  to  a  great  number  of 
streams,  and  it  is  derived  from  their  running  from  that 
quarter. 

This  is  a  fine  country.  It  is  called  Caughnawaga. 
Fonda  was  a  member  of  Assembly  two  years  ago,  and  is 
brother-in-law  to  the   Veeders.     John,    who  lives  near, 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  199 

called  to  see  us.  Sammons  lives  two  miles  ofF.  Close  by 
Fonda's  are  a  church,  stores,  and  several  houses.  We 
met  several  people  going  to  church,  of  a  very  decent  ap- 
pearance. This  place  is  forty  miles  from  Albany. 
Taking  a  barrel  of  flour  from  this  to  that  place,  by  land, 
costs  five  shillings. 

The  Mohawk  country  is  greatly  deficient  in  fruit  trees. 
We  saw  no  peach  trees,  but  wild  plum  trees  in  great 
abundance.  The  great  frost  of  the  18th  of  July  was  not 
experienced  in  this  country.  Fifty  acres  of  low  land, 
with  upland  in  proportion,  are  considered  a  good  farm. 
The  low  lands  are  worth  $100  per  acre.  They  are  some- 
what exhausted  in  some  places,  and  are  better  for  manure 
in  such  case,  although  generally  very  rich. 

Fonda's  windows  are  hooked  by  a  small  bar  of  iron, 
gently  rising  like  a  spring,  and  is  a  good  device. 

We  saw  profile  likenesses  cut  in  paper  all  over  the 
country — even  at  Magic's  tavern,  at  Three  River  Point. 

Sir  John  Johnson  came  here  during  the  last  war  by 
Queensburgh  and  Lake  George,  with  500  Tories  and 
Indians,  and  carried  arson  and  murder  in  his  train.  He 
killed  a  great  many  of  his  old  acquaintance,  captui'ed 
Major  Fonda's  grandfather  and  father,  and  stood  near  and 
did  not  prevent  the  Indians  from  tomahawking  the  former 
near  the  house.  The  Major  pointed  to  the  spot  with  tears 
in  his  eyes.  Sir  John  divided  his  band  into  two  parties, 
at  Johnstown,  and  went  down  as  far  as  Tripe's  Hill,  care- 
fully avoiding  any  injury  to  the  tories,  and  re-assembling 
at  Johnstown.  Peter  Hansen,  an  uncle  of  Major  Fonda's, 
was  taken  prisoner  on  that  occasion,  and  detained  in  Ca- 
nada three  years.  He  is  eighty-eight  years  old  ;  can  walk 
well,  and  does  not  appear  more  than  sixty.     He  could, 


200  DE    WrTT    CLINTON. 

when  young,  lift  a  barrel  of  pork  with  a  finger.  Sir  John 
married  a  Miss  Watts,  the  sister  of  John.  He  must  have 
been  a  great  villain  in  murdering  his  old  neighbors  and 
the  friends  of  his  father.  Hansen's  brother  was  scalped 
on  this  expedition.  Sir  John  marched  with  the  Indians 
on  foot.  All  the  Tories  from  this  part  of  the  country 
were  with  him,  disguised  like  Indians,  and  they  constituted 
the  majority  of  the  party.  Since  the  war,  several  have 
returned,  and  they  are  Federalists,  except  one,  who  was 
then  too  young  to  form  fixed  principles, 

A  few  miles  from  Caughnawaga  we  passed  Sir  William 
Johnson's  first  elegant  house  after  his  greatness,  now  a 
tavern.  It  is  a  large,  double-stone  building  with  two  sto- 
ries, with  stone  offices.  After  he  erected  Johnson  Hall, 
at  Johnstown,  his  son  lived  here.  Johnson  Hall  was 
at  one  period  owned  by  Abraham  Morehouse,  a  complete 
villain,  who  was  pardoned  when  under  sentence  of  death. 
He  is  now  in  the  Orleans  Territory,  a  member  of  their 
Legislature,  and  worth  $200,000.  Sir  William  was  a 
great  man  ;  from  a  small  Indian  trader  he  rose  to  great 
eminence-  He  made  his  way  in  some  measure  to  the  af- 
fections of  the  Indians,  through  the  embraces  of  the  squaws. 
He  kept  a  sister  of  the  celebrated  Brandt.  "  He  asked,"  said 
old  Mr.  Hansen,  "  my  wife  how  many  children  she  had." 
She  replied,  "three.  How  many  have  you?"  "That  is 
a  question,"  said  he,  smiling,  "  that  I  cannot  answer." 

Four  miles  from  Fonda's  is  Tripe's  Hill,  a  ve:"y  elevat- 
ed eminence,  which  the  road  ascends  and  keeps  on  for 
some  distance.  From  this  elevation  you  have  a  most 
beautiful  prospect  of  Schoharie  Creek  and  bridge,  the  Mo- 
hawk River,  the  lowlands  and  the  mountains.  About  this 
hill  and  the  adjacent  country,  there  are  prodigious  ant- 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  201 

hills.  There  is  one  two  feet  high  and  three  feet  in  dia- 
meter. 

Seventeen  miles  from  Schenectady  we  passed  the  ruins 
of  Col.  (>laus's  house.  It  was  a  stone  building,  and  burnt 
down  during  the  war.  He  was  a  son-in-law  of  Sir  Wil- 
liam. A  mile  farther  we  passed  Guy  Park,  owned  by 
another  son-in-law.     Both  their  estates  were  confiscated. 

Fifteen  miles  from  Schenectady  is  the  village  of  Am- 
sterdam, consisting  of  two  framed  churches,  (one  large 
and  elegant,  the  other  small  and  not  painted),  taverns, 
stores,  and  several  houses.  The  road  along  here  exhibited 
granite,  limestone,  and  freestone.  In  this  place  we  saw  a 
sign,  Benedict  Arnold  &  Co.'s  Store,  in  large  characters, 
and  another  B.  Arnold,  who  appeared  to  be  a  chairmaker. 
I  was  informed  that  the  traitor  Gen.  Arnold,  has  two  sons 
resident  in  this  country,  who  behave  well. 

We  halted  at  Gonsaulis's  tavern  in  Amsterdam,  twelve 
miles  from  Schenectady,  with  this  motto  on  the  sign, 
"  Where  liberty  dwells,  there  is  my  country."  This  place 
is  four  miles  west  of  the  line  of  division  between  Mont- 
gomery and  Schenectady  counties. 

We  saw  here  a  three-horse  team  from  Albany,  loaded 
with  a  species  of  sandstone  for  a  glass-house  in  Utica. 
The  intelligent  driver  could  not  tell  us  from  where  it 
came,  nor  what  it  was,  nor  to  what  use  applied.  It  is  a 
peculiar  kind  of  sandstone,  infusible,  obtained  in  Bolton, 
Connecticut,  and  used  for  the  hearths  of  glass-houses. 
No  other  but  infusible  ones  will  answer  for  this  purpose. 
When  at  Oswego,  we  saw  some  stones  of  a  similar  de- 
scription, which  it  was  supposed  would  resist  fire,  and 
were  also  intended  for  a  glass-house  in  Oneida  county. 
When  on  this  subject,  it  may  not  be  irrelevant  to  add,  that 


202  DB    WITT    CLINTON. 

a  species  of  asbestos  has  been  found  in  the  highlands  in 
Dutchess  county. 

There  went  up  the  river  when  we  were  at  this  place,  a 
boat  from  Schenectady  laden  with  bales  of  cotton.  The 
river  now  is  not  mujch  higher  than  when  we  ascended. 
Van  Slyck  and  one  other  of  our  ci-devant  boatmen  were 
on  board. 

We  stopped  at  Vedder's  tavern,  seven  miles  from  Sche- 
nectady. This  place  was  considered  a  frontier  during  the 
war.     The  Indians  burnt  and  killed  in  its  vicinitv. 

We  arrived  at  Powell's  tavern  in  Schenectady,  about 
five  P.  M.,  where  we  dined  and  lodged.  The  low-lands 
within  three  miles  of  the  city,  are  extensive  and  fertile. 
There  is  a  very  grand  bridge  over  the  Mohawk,  a  quarter 
of  a-mile  in  length.     The  former  was  blown  down. 

August  20th.  Alha7iy.  We  arrived  at  one  o'clock ; 
put  up  at  Judge  Spencer's.  The  rest  of  the  company 
went  to  Gregory's.  The  turnpike  from  this  place  to 
Schenectady  is  excellent.     It  cost  <S8,000  a-mile. 

The  Supreme  Court  is  in  session.  Had  the  pleasure  of 
seeing,  this  day  and  the  next,  several  friends.  Judge  Yates, 
Taylor,  Weston,  G.  A.  Worth,  R.  Skinner,  S.  Hawkins, 
Dr.  Dewitt,  Southwick,  F.  Bloodgood,  M.  V.  Van  Beu- 
ren,  and  Dr.  Cooper. 

August  21 5^.  The  day  was  rainy.  I  dined  at  Mr. 
Jenkin's. 

August  22d.  Left  Albany  at  half  after  eight,  in  the 
North  River  Steamboat,  and  arrived  at  New  York  on  the 
23d,  at  half  after  twelve. 

There  are  already  six  boats  of  this  description  in  North 
America  ;  two  from  New  York  to  Albany  ;  one  from  New 
York  to  Brunswick  ;  one  from  Philadelphia  to  Burlington  ; 


PRIVATE    JOURNAL.  203 

one  from  Whitehall  to  St.  Johns,  by  Lake  Champlain  ;  one 
from  Quebec  to  Montreal. 

In  this  route,  I  have  become  acquainted  with  the  most 
interesting  part  of  the  State.  There  are  four  more  which 
I  would  wish  to  take,  and  which  would  render  my  know- 
ledge of  it  complete : 

1.  From  Albany  to  Black  River,  and  thence  down  the 
St.  Lawrence,  returning  through  the  northern  counties  by 
Lake  Champlain. 

2.  By  the  Great  Western  Turnpike  to  Buffalo,  and  on 
the  south  shore  of  Lake  Erie  to  Pittsburgh,  etc. 

3.  By  Cattskill  turnpike  to  Oxford,  from  thence  to 
Owego  and  down  the  Susquehannah. 

4.  By  Delaware  and  Kingston  turnpike  in  the  interior, 
and  returning  by  the  Newburgh  turnpike. 

Omissions.  Vegetable  Productions.  There  are  six 
different  kinds  of  wild  plums  in  the  western  country, 
which  come  to  maturity  at  different  times.  Some  are 
large  and  others  small ;  some  are  very  fine. 

The  Tamerick-tree  is  the  only  species  of  deciduous  pine 
in  this  country.     It  is  a  very  fine  ornamental-tree. 

On  the  Ridge  Road,  about  sixteen  or  seventeen  miles 
from  Lewiston,  we  saw  a  black- walnut,  which  we  esti- 
mated to  be  six  feet  in  diameter. 

The  cuttings  of  Nasturtium,  put  in  a  bottle  of  water, 
luxuriate  very  handsomely. 

Silver-Pine  is  a  fine  tree  for  planting,  and  so  is  the  white - 
pine.  The  former  can  be  procured  at  Livingston's  Nursery, 
Westchester  county. 

It  is  said  that  Le  Rey  de  Chaumont,  of  Jefferson  county, 
has  sold  3,000  trees,  standing,  to  the  British  Government, 
for  five  dollars  a-piece. 


204  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

Mineral  Productions.  Excellent  black  sand,  the  prin- 
cipal ingredient  of  which  is  iron,  can  be  procured  at  the 
Little  Falls,  and  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Erie. 

Seneca  oil  is  procured  from  a  spring  at  Olean,  on  the  Alle- 
ghany River,  by  dipping  a  blanket  on  the  surface,  which 
attracts  the  oil,  and  then  brushing  it  into  a  receiver. 

Col.  Porter  says  that  he  saw  a  single  specimen  of  copper 
from  Lake  Superior,  weighing  twenty  pounds.  The  thunder 
on  the  bay  of  that  name,  on  Lake  Huron,  is  supposed  to 
arise  from  immense  beds  of  iron. 

There  is  a  quarry  of  gypsum  in  Camillus.  This  manure 
does  not  answer  in  argillareous  or  calcareous  soils.  It  is 
excellent  in  sandy  soils,  in  pine-barrens.  Two-thirds  of 
the  Camillus  gypsum  is  dark  gray. 

An  inexhaustible  quarry  of  gypsum  has  been  discovered 
in  Sullivan,  Madison  county,  but  a  few^  feet  below  the 
surface.  The  greater  part  is  of  the  gray  kind  ;  but  there 
are  some  veins  of  the  transparent. 

There  is  a  sulphur-spring  in  Genesee  county. 

The  celebrated  oil-stones  are  found  on  Buffalo  creek. 


€^t    IroquDiB, 


ADDRESS  DELIVERED  BEFORE  THE  NEW  YOEK  HIS- 
TORICAL SOCIETY,  DEC.  6,  1811. 


Mr.  President,  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Historical  Society: 

There  is  a  strong  propensity  in  the  human  mind  to  trace 
up  our  ancestry  to  as  high  and  as  remote  a  source  as  pos- 
sible ;  and  if  our  pride  and  our  ambition  cannot  be  grati- 
fied by  a  real  statement  of  facts,  fable  is  substituted  for 
truth,  and  the  imagination  is  taxed  to  supply  the  deficiency. 
This  principle  of  our  nature,  although  liable  to  great  per- 
version, and  frequently  the  source  of  well-founded  ridi- 
cule, may,  if  rightly  directed,  become  the  parent  of  great 
actions.  The  origin  and  progress  of  individuals,  of  fami- 
lies, and  of  nations,  constitute  Biography  and  History — two 
of  the  most  interesting  departments  of  human  knowledge. 
Allied  to  this  principle,  springing  from  the  same  causes, 
and  producing  the  same  benign  effects,  is  that  curiosity 
we  feel  in  tracing  the  history  of  the  nations  which  have 
occupied  the  same  territory  before  us,  although  not  con- 
nected with  us  in  any  other  respect.  "  To  abstract  the 
mind  from  all  local  emotion,"  says  an  eminent  moralist, 
"  would  be  impossible  if  it  were  endeavored,  and  it  would 
be  foolish  if  it  were  possible."*  The  places  where  great 
*  Johnson's  Tour  to  the  Hebrides. 


206  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

events  have  been  performed,  where  great  virtues  have 
been  exhibited,  where  great  crimes  have  been  perpetrated, 
will  always  excite  kindred  emotions  of  admiration  or 
horror.  And  if  ."  that  man  is  little  to  be  envied  whose 
patriotism  would  not  gain  force  upon  the  plains  of  Mara- 
thon, or  whose  piety  would  not  grow  warmer  among  the 
ruins  of  lona,"  we  may,  with  equal  confidence  assert,  that 
morbid  must  be  his  sensibility,  and  small  must  be  his  ca- 
pacity for  improvement,  who  does  not  advance  in  wisdom 
and  in  virtue  from  contemplating  the  state  and  the  his- 
tory of  the  people  who  occupied  this  country  before  the 
man  of  Europe. 

As  it  is,  therefore,  not  uninteresting,  and  is  entirely 
suitable  to  this  occasion,  I  shall  present  a  general  geo- 
graphical, political,  and  historical  view  of  the  red  men 
who  inhabited  this  State  before  us  ;  and  this  I  do  the  more 
willingly,  from  a  conviction  that  no  part  of  America  con- 
tained a  people  which  will  furnish  more  interesting  infor- 
mation and  more  useful  instruction  ;  which  will  display 
the  energies  of  the  human  character  in  a  more  conspicuous 
manner,  whether  in  light  or  in  shade,  in  the  exhibition  of 
great  virtues  and  talents,  or  of  great  vices  and  effects. 

In  1774  the  government  of  Connecticut,  in  an  official 
statement  to  the  British  Secretary  of  State,  represented 
the  original  title  to  the  lands  of  Connecticut  as  in  the 
Pequot  Nations  of  Indians,  who  were  numerous  and  war- 
like ;  that  their  great  sachem  Sasacus  had  under  him 
twenty-six  sachems,  and  that  their  territory  extended  from 
Narraganset  to  Hudson's  River,  and  ever  all  Long  Island.* 
The  Long  Island  Indians,  who  are  represented  as  very 
savage  and  ferocious,  were  called  Meilowacks,  or  Meito- 
*  Collections  of  Massachusetts  Historical  Society,  vol.  7,  p.  231. 


THE  iRoauois.  207 

wacks,  and  the  Island  itself  Meitowacks.*  The  Mohic- 
cons,  Mahatons,  or  Manhattans,  occupied  this  Island  and 
Staten  Island. f  The  Mohegans,  whose  original  name  was 
Muhhekanew,  were  settled  on  that  part  of  the  State  east 
of  Hudson's  River  and  below  Albany,  and  those  Indians 
on  the  west  bank  from  its  mouth  to  the  Kaats'  Kill  moun- 
tains, were  sometimes  denominated  Wabinga,  and  some- 
times Sankikani,  and  they  and  the  Mohegans:|:  went  by 
the  general  appellation  of  River  Indians ;  or,  according  to 
the  Dutch,  Mohickanders.  Whether  the  Mohegans  were 
a  distinct  nation  from  the  Pequots§  has  been  recently 
doubted ;  although  they  were  formerly  so  considered.  One 
of  the  early  historians  asserts  that  the  Narragansets,  a 
powerful  nation  in  New  England,  held  dominion  over  part 
of  Long  Island. II  The  generic  name  adopted  by  the 
French  for  all  the  Indians  of  New  England,  was  Abena- 
quis ;  and  the  country  from  the  head  of  Chesapeake  Bay 
to  the  Kittatinney  mountains,  as  far  eastward  as  the 
Abenaquis,  and  as  far  northward  and  westward  as  the  Iro- 

*  Smith's  History  of  New  York,  p.  262.      ' 

f  Staten  Island  was  purchased  from  the  Indians  by  Col.  Lovelace, 
second  governor  under  the  Duke  of  York,  between  the  years  1667 
and  1673.  {Chalmers's  Political  Annals  of  the  Colonies,  p.  509.)  He 
refers  to  different  manuscripts  in  the  Plantation  Office,  called  New 
York  Entries,  New  York  Papers,  which  appear  to  be  voluminous.  If 
we  could  ascertain  from  those  papers  the  nation  that  sold  Staten 
Island,  it  might  produce  some  interesting  inferences. 

X  Jefferson's  Virginia,  p.  310.  Collections  of  New  York  Histori- 
cal Society,  vol.  1,  p.  33,  34.  Barton's  Views  of  the  Origin  of  the 
Indians,  p.  31.     Trumbull's  History  of  the  United  States,  p.  42.  ^ 

§  TrumbulPs  History  of  Connecticut,  p.  28. 

II  Massachusetts  Historical  Society,  vol.  1,  p.  144,  &c.  Daniel 
Gookins. 


208  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

quis,  was  occupied  by  a  nation  denominated  by  themselves 
the  Lenni-lenopi ;  by  the  French,  Loups  ;  and  the  EngUsh. 
Delawares.*  Mr.  Charles  Thompson,  formerly  Secretary 
of  Congress,  supposed  that  this  nation  extended  east  of 
Hudson's  to  the  Connecticut  River,  and  over  Long  Island, 
this  Island,  and  Staten  Island  ;  and  Mr.  Smith,  in  his  His- 
tory of  New  York,  says,  that  when  the  Dutch  commenced 
the  settlement  of  the  country,  all  the  Indians  on  Long 
Island  and  the  northern  shore  of  the  Sound,  and  on 
the  banks  of  the  Connecticut  and  Hudson  Rivers,  were 
in  subjection  to  and  paid  an  annual  tribute  to  the  Five 
Nations.f  Mr.  Smith's  statement,  therefore,  does  not  ac- 
cord with  the  fact  of  the  tribute  paid  to  the  United  Colo- 
nies of  New  England,  nor  with  the  alleged  dominion  of 
the  Pequots  and  Narragansets  over  Long  Island.  New 
York  was  settled  before  Connecticut,  and  the  supremacy 
of  the  Iroquois  was  never  disturbed ;  and  it  probably  pre- 
vailed at  one  time  over  Long  Island,  over  the  territory  as 
far  east  as  Connecticut  River,  and  over  the  Indians  on 
the  west  banks  of  the  Hudson,  The  confusion  on  this 
subject  has  probably^  arisen  from  the  same  language  being 
used  by  the  Delawares  and  Abenaquis ;.  but,  indeed,  it  is 
not  very  important  to  ascertain  to  which  of  these  nations 
the  red  inhabitants  of  that  portion  of  the  State  may  be 
referred.     They,  in  process  of  time,  became  subject  to  the 

*  Barton's  Views,  p.  25.     Jefferson's  Notes,  p.  310,  &c. 

f  It  is  certain  that  the  Montacket  Sachem,  so  called  in  former  times, 
on  the  east  end  of  Long  Island,  paid  tribute  in  wampum  to  the  Con- 
federated Colonies  of  Massachusetts,  Plymouth,  Connecticut,  and 
New  Haven,  for  at  least  ten  years  previous  to  1656.  Hazard's  Col- 
lections of  State  Papers,  vol.  2,  p.  361. 


THE  iRoauois.  209 

Iroquois,  and  paid  a  tribute  in  wampum  and  shells  *  Their 
general  character  and  conduct  to  the  first  Europeans  they 
probably  had  ever  seen,  have  been  described  in  Hudson's 
voyage  up  the  North  River.f  And  it  is  not  a  little  remarka- 
ble that  the  natives  below  the  Highlands  were  offensive 
and  predatory,  while  those  above  rendered  him  every  as- 
sistance and  hospitality  in  their  power:  Of  all  these 
tribes,  about  nine  or  ten  families  remain  on  Long  Island  • 
their  principal  settlement  is  on  a  track  of  one  thousand 
acres  on  Montauk  Point. 

The  Stockbridge  Indians  migrated  from  Hudson's  River 
in  1734,  to  Stockbridge,  in  Massachusetts,  from  whence 
they  removed  about  the  year  1785,  to  lands  assigned  to 
them  by  the  Oneidas  in  their  territory. J     The  Brother- 
town  Indians  formerly  resided  in  Narraganset,  in  Rhode 
Island,  and    in    Farmington,   Stonington,   Mohegan,  and 
some   other   towns   in   Connecticut,  and  are  a  remnant 
of  the  Muhhekanew  Indians,  formerly  called  the  Seven 
Tribes  on  the  Sea  Coast.     They  also  inhabit  lands  pre- 
sented to  them  by  the  Oneidas.     These  Indians  and  the 
Stockbridge  Indians,  augmented  in  a  small  degree  by  mi- 
grations from  the  Long  Island  Indians,  have  formed  two 
settlements,  which  by  an  accurate  census  taken  in  1794, 
contained  four  hundred  and  fifty  souls.     But  the  greater 
part  of  the  Indians  below  Albany  retreated  at  an  early 
period  from  the  approach  of  civilized  man,  and  became 
merged  in  the  nations  of  the  north  and  the  west.     As  far 

*  Smith's  History  of  New  York.     Colden's  History  of  the  Five 

Nations. 

t  Purchas'  Pilgrim,  vol.  3,  p.  58.     New  York  Historical  Collec- 
tions,  vol.  1,  p.  102. 

X  Massachusetts  Historical  Society,  Vol.  4,  p.  67.  &c. 
14 


210  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

back  as  1687,  just  after  the  destruction  of  the  Mohawk 
Castles  by  the  French,  Governor  Dongan  advised*  the 
Five  Nations  to  open  a  path  for  all  the  North  Indians  and 
Mohickanders,  that  were  among  the  Ottawas  and  other 
nations,  and  to  use  every  endeavor  to  bring  them  home. 

The  remaining  and  much  greater  part  of  the  State  was 
occupied  by  the  Romans  of  this  western  world, f  who 
composed  a  federal  Republic,  and  were  denominated  by 
the  English,  the  Five  Nations,  the  Six  Nations,  the  Con- 
federates ;  by  the  French,  the  Iroquois ;  by  the  Dutch, 
the  Maquas,  or  Mahakuase ;  by  the  southern  Indians,  the 
Massawomacs  ;  by  themselves,  the  Mingos,  or  Mingoians, 
and  sometimes  the  Aganuschion,  or  United  people,  and 
their  confederacy  they  styled  the  Kenunctioni.J 

The  dwelling  lands  of  this  confederacy  were  admirably 
adapted  for  convenience,  for  subsistence,  and  for  conquest. 
They  comprise  the  greatest  body  of  the  most  fertile 
lands  in  North  America ;  and  they  are  the  most  elevated 
grounds  in  the  United  States — from  whence  the  waters 
run  in  every  direction.  The  Ohio,  the  Delaware,  the 
Susquehanna,  the  Hudson,  and  the  St.  Lawrence,  almost 
all  the  gi'eat  rivers,  beside  a  very  considerable  number  of 
i^condary  ones,  originate  here,  and  are  discharged  into  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico  by  the  Mississippi  River,  into  the  Gulf  of 
St.  Lawrence  by  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  or  into  the  At- 
lantic Ocean  by  various  channels.     Five  great  inland  seas 

*  Colden's  History  of  the  Five  Nations,  vol.  1,  p.  85,  &c. 

t  Volney's  View  of  the  United  States,  p.  470-476.  Colden"s  Five 
Nations,  vol.  1,  p.  4,  5. 

X  Massachusetts  Historical  Collections,  vol.  1,  p.  144,  &c.,  Daniel 
Gookins.  Pownall  on  the  Colonies,  vol.  1,  p.  235.  Smith's  History 
of  New  Jersey,  p,  136.  Morse's  Gazetteer,  title  Six  Nations.  Jef- 
ferson's Virginia,  p.  140.     Smith's  History  of  New  York,  p.  45. 


THE    IROQUOIS.  211 

reach  upward  of  2,000  miles  through  a  considerable  part 
of  this  territory,  and  afford  an  almost  uninterrupted  navi- 
gation to  that  extent.  By  these  lakes  and  rivers,  the  con- 
federates were  enabled,  at  all  times,  and  in  all  directions, 
to  carry  war  and  destruction  among  the  surrounding  and 
the  most  distant  nations.  And  their  country  also  abounds 
with  other  lakes,  some  of  great  size  ;  Lake  Champlain, 
formerly  called  the  Sea  of  the  Iroquois,  Lake  George,  the 
Saratoga,  the  Oneida,  the  Canadesaga  or  Seneca,  the 
Cayuga,  the  Otsego,  the  Skeneatelas,  the  Canandaigua,  the 
Cross,  the  Onondaga,  the  Otisco,  the  Owasco,  the  Crooked, 
the  Canesus,  the  Hemlock,  the  Honeyeo,  the  Chatauque. 
the  Caniaderaga,  and  the  Canasaraga — composing  in  num- 
ber and  extent,  with  the  five  great  lakes,  the  greatest  mass 
of  fresh  water  to  be  found  in  the  world.  In  addition  to 
the  fertility  of  the  soil,  we  may  mention  the  mildness  of 
the  climate  to  the  west  of  the  Onondaga  Hills,  the  salu- 
brity and  the  magnificent  scenery  of  the  country.  The 
numerous  waters  were  stored  with  the  salmon,  the  trout, 
the  masquinonges,  the  white  fish,  the  shad,  the  rock  fish, 
the  sturgeon,  the  perch,  and  other  fish  of  various  kinds ; 
and  the  forests  abounded  with  an  incredible  number  and 
variety  of  game.  The  situation  of  the  inhabitants  was 
rendered  very  eligible  from  these  sources  of  subsistence, 
connected  with  a  very  productive  soil ;  for  they  had  pass- 
ed over  the  pastoral  state,  and  followed  agriculture  as  well 
fishing  and  hunting.  The  selection  of  this  country  for  a 
habitation  was  the  wisest  expedient  that  could  have  been 
adopted  by  a  military  nation  to  satiate  their  thirst  for 
glory,  and  to  extend  their  conquests  over  the  continent ; 
and  if  they  preferred  the  arts  of  peace,  there  was  none 
better  calculated  for  this  important  purpose.     In  a  few 


212  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

days  their  forces  could  be  seen,  their  power  could  be  felt, 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio  or  the  Missouri,  on  the  waters 
of  the  Hudson  or  the  St.  Lawrence,  or  in  the  bays  of 
Delaware  or  Chesapeake. 

It  is  not  a  little  difficult  to  define  the  territorial  limits  of 
this  extraordinary  people,*  for  on  this  subject  there  are 
the  most  repugnant  representations  by  the  French  and 
English  writers ;  arising  from  interest,  friendship,  preju- 
dice, and  enmity.  While  the  French,  on  the  one  hand, 
were  involved  in  continual  hostility  with  them,  the  Eng- 
lish, on  the  other  hand,  were  connected  by  alliance  and  by 
commerce.  By  the  15th  article  of  the  treaty  of  Utrecht, 
concluded  in  1713,  it  was  stipulated  "that  the  subjects  of 
France  inhabiting  Canada,  and  others,  shall  hereafter  give 
no  hindrance  or  molestation  to  the  Five  Nations,  or  can- 
tons, subject  to  the  dominion  of  Great  Britain. "f  As  be- 
tween France  and  England  the  confederates  were,  there- 
fore, to  be  considered  as  the  subjects  of  the  'latter,  and  of 
course  the  British  dominion  was  co-exten^ive  with  the 
rightful  territory  of  the  five  cantons,  it  then  became  the 
policy  of  France  to  diminish,  and  that  of  England  to  en- 
large this  territory.  But,  notwithstanding  the  confusion 
which  has  grown  out  of  these  clashing  interests  and  con- 
tradictory representations,  it  is  not  perhaps  very  far  from 
the  truth  to  pronounce,  that  the  Five  Nations  were  enti- 
tled by  patrimony  or  conquest  to  all  the  territory  in  the 

*  Rogers'  Concise  Account  of  North  America,  p.  6.  Golden,  vol. 
1,  p.  87.  Pownall  on  the  Colonies,  vol.  1,  p.  235,  &c.  Smith's  New 
York,  p.  58,  179,  &c.  Douglass',  Summary,  p.  11,  &c.  Pownall's 
Geographical  Description,  &c.  Charlevoix  Histoire  Generale  de  ta 
Nouvelle  France,  &c. 

t  Chalmers'  Collection  of  Treaties,  vol.  1,  p.  382. 


THE  iRoauois.  213 

United  States  and  in  Canada,  not  occupied  by  the  Creeks, 
the  Cherokees,  and  the  other  southern  Indians,  by  the 
Sioux,  the  Kinisteneaux,  and  the  Chippewas,  and  by  the 
English  and  French  as  far  west  as  the  Mississippi  and 
Lake  Winnipeg,  as  far  north-west  as  the  waters  which 
unite  this  lake  and  Hudson's  Bay,  and  as  far  north  as  Hud- 
son's Bay  and  Labrador.     The  Five  Nations  claim,  says 
Smith,   "  all  the  lands  not  sold  to  the  English  from  the 
mouth  of  Sorel  River,  on  the  south  side  of  Lakes  Erie  and 
Ontario,  on  both  sides  of  the  Ohio,  till  it  falls  into  the  Mis- 
sissippi ;  and  on  the  north  side  of  these  lakes,  that  whole 
territory  between  the  Outawas  River  and  Lake  Huron, 
and  even    beyond    the  straits   between   that   and    Lake 
Erie."     The  principal  point  of  dispute  between  the  Eng- 
lish and  French  was,  whether  the  dominion  of  the  con- 
federates extended  north  of  the  Great  Lake  :  but  I  think  it 
is  evident  that  it  did.     It  is  admitted  by  several  French 
writers,  that  the  Iroquois  had  several  villages  on  the  north 
side  of  Lake  Ontario  ;  and  they  are  even  laid  down  in  the 
maps  attached  to  Charlevoix,  and  it  cannot  be  denied  but 
that  they  subdued  the  Hurons  and  Algonkins,  who  lived 
on  that  side  of  the  Great  Lakes,  and  consequently  were 
entitled  to  their  country  by  the  right  of  conquest.     Dou- 
glass estimated  their  territory  at  about  twelve   hundred 
miles  in  length,  from  north  to  south,  and  from  seven  to 
eight  hundred  miles  in  breadth.     This  was  either  heredi- 
tary or  conquered.     Their  patrimonial,  and  part  of  their 
conquered  country,  were  used  for  the  purpose  of  habitation 
and  hunting.     Their  hunting-grounds  wer ;  very  extensive, 
including  a  large  triangle  on  the  southeast  side  of  the  St. 
Lawrence  River,  the  country  lying  on  the  south  and  east 
sides  of  Lake  Erie,  the  country  between  the  Lakes  Erie 


214  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

and  Michigan,  and  the  country  lying  on  the  north  of  Lake 
Erie,  and  northwest  of  Lake  Ontario,  and  between  the 
Lakes  Ontario  and  Huron.  All  the  remaining  part  of 
their  territory  was  inhabited  by  the  Abenaquis,  Algonkins, 
Shawanese,  Delawares,  Illinois,  Miamies,  and  other  vassal 
nations.  1 

The  acquisition  of  supremacy  over  a  country  of  such 
amazing  extent  and  fertility,  inhabited  by  warlike  and  nu- 
merous nations,  must  have  been  the  result  of  unity  of  de- 
sign and  system  of  action  proceeding  from  a  wise  and 
energetic  policy,  continued  for  a  long  course  of  time.  To 
their  social  combinations,  military  talents,  and  exterior  ar- 
rangements, we  must  look  for  this  system,  if  such  a  system 
is  to  be  found. 

The  Confederates  had  proceeded  far  beyond  the  first 
element  of  all  associations — that  of  combination  mto  fami- 
lies :  they  had  their  villages,  their  tribes,  their  nations,  and 
their  confederacy  ;  but  they  had  not  advanced  beyond  the 
first  stage  of  government.  They  were  destitute  of  an  ex- 
ecutive and  judiciary  to  execute  the  determinations  of 
their  councils  ;  and  their  government  was  therefore  merely 
advisor}',  and  without  a  coercive  principle.  The  respect 
which  was  paid  to  their  chiefs,  and  the  general  odium  that 
attached  to  disobedience,  rendered  the  decisions  of  their 
legislatures,  for  a  long  series  of  time,  of  as  much  validity  as 
if  they  had  been  enforced  by  an  executive  arm. 

They  were  originally  divided  into  Five  Nations — the  Mo- 
hawks, the  Oneidas,  the  Onondagas,  the  Cayugas,  and  the 
Senecas.  In  1712,  the  Tuscaroras,  who  lived  in  the  back 
parts  of  North  Carolina,  and  who  had  formed  a  deep  and 
general  conspiracy  to  exterminate  the  whites,  were  driven 
from  their  country,  were  adopted  by  the  Iroquois  as  a  Sixth 


THE  iRoauois.  215 

Nation,  and  lived  on  lands  between  the  Oneidas  and  Onon- 
dagas,  assigned  to  them  by  the  former.* 

The  Mohawks  had  four  towns  and  one  small  village, 
situated  on  or  near  the  fertile  banks  of  the  river  of  that 
name.  The  position  of  the  first  was  at  the  confluence  of 
the  Schoharie  Creek  and  Mohawk  River,  and  the  others 
were  farther  to  the  west.  This  nation,  from  their  propin- 
quity to  the  settlements  of  the  whites,  from  their  martial 
renown  and  military  spirit,  have,  like  Holland,  frequentlv 
given  their  name  to  the  whole  confederacy,  which  is  often 
denominated  the  Mohawks  in  the  annals  of  those  davs  ; 
and  it  may  be  found  employed  in  the  pages  of  a  celebrated 
periodical  writer  of  Great  Britian,  for  the  purpose  of  the 
most  exquisite  humor.f  This  nation  was  always  held  in 
the  greatest  veneration  by  its  associates.  At  the  important 
treaty  of  1768,  at  Fort  Stanwix,  by  Sir  William  Johnson, 
they  were  declared  by  the  other  nations  "the  true  old 
heads  of  the  confederacy. "J  The  Oneidas  had  their 
principal  seat  on  the  south  of  the  Oneida  Lake,  the  Onon- 
dagas  near  the  Onondaga,  and  the  Cayugas  near  the  Cayu- 
ga Lake.  The  principal  village  of  the  Senecas  was  near 
the  Genesee  River,  about  twenty  miles  from  Irondequoit 
Bay.  Each  nation  was  divided  into  three  tribes — the 
Tortoise,  the  Bear,  and  the  Wolf;  and  each  village  was, 
like  the  cities  of  the  United  Netherlands — a  distinct  re- 
public ;  and  its  concerns  were  managed  by  its  particular 
chiefs. §     Their  exterior  relations,  general  interests,  and 

*  Smith's  New  York,  p.  46.     Douglass'  Summary,  p.  243. 

t  Spectator. 

X  The  proceedings  of  this  treaty  were  never  published.  1  have  seen 
them  in  manuscript,  in  the  possession  of  the  late  Vice  President 
Clinton. 

^  See  Charlevoix,  Golden,  &c. 


216  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

national  affairs,  were  conducted  and  superintended  by  a 
great  council,  assembled  annually  in  Onondaga,  the  central 
canton,  composed  of  the  chiefs  of  each   republic  ;    and 
eighty  sachems  were  frequently  convened  at  this  national 
assembly.     It  took  cognizance  of  the  great  questions  of 
war  and  peace  ;  of  the  affairs  of  the  tributary  nations,  and 
of  their  negotiations  with  the  French  and  English  colonies. 
All  their  proceedings  were  conducted  with  great  delibera- 
tion,   and    were   distinguished    for   order,   decorum,   and 
solemnity.     In  eloquence,  in  dignity,  and  in  all  the  charac- 
teristics of  profound  policy,  they  surpassed  an  assembly  of 
feudal  barons,  and  were  perhaps  not  far  inferior  to  the 
great  Amphyctionic  Council  of  Greece.     Dr.  Robertson, 
who  has  evinced,  in  almost  every  instance,  a  stiong  pro- 
pensity to  degrade  America  below  its  just  rank  in  the  scale 
of  creation,  was  compelled  to  qualify  the  generality  of  his 
censures  in  relation  to  its  political  institutions,  by  saying, 
"  If  we  except  the  celebrated  league  which  united  the  Five 
Nations  in  Canada  into  a  Federal  Republic,  we  can  discern 
few  such  traces  of  political  wisdom  among  the  rude  Ameri- 
can tribes  as  discover  any  great  degree  of  foresight  or  ex- 
tent of  intellectual  abilities."* 

A  distinguished  feature  in  the  character  of  the  confed- 
erates, was  an  exalted  spirit  of  liberty,  which  revolted 
with  equal  indignation  at  domestic  or  foreign  control. 
•"  We  are  born  free,  (said  Garangula,  in  his  admirable 
■speech  to  the  governor  general  of  Canada,)  we  neither  de- 
pend on  Ononthio,  or  Corlear  ;"t  on  France,  or  on  England. 
Baron  Lahontan,  who  openly  avowed  his  utter  detestation 

*  Robertson's  America,  vol.  1..  p.  435. 

t  See  this  speech  in  Appendix,  No.  1 ;  taken  from  Smith's  History 
of  New  York. 


THE  iRoauois.  217 

and  abhorrence  of  them,  is  candid  enough  to  acknowledge, 
that  "  they  laugh  at  the  menaces  of  kings  and  governors, 
for  they  have  no  idea  of  dependence ;  nay,  the  very  word 
is  to  them  insupportable.  They  look  upon  themselves  as 
sovereigns,  accountable  to  none  but  God  alone,  whom  they 
call  the  Great  Spirit."  They  admitted  of  no  hereditary 
distinctions.  The  office  of  sachem  was  the  reward  of 
personal  merit ;  of  great  wisdom,  or  commanding  elo- 
quenc  ;  of  distinguished  services  in  the  cabinet  or  in  the 
field.  It  was  conferred  by  silent  and  general  consent,  as 
the  spontaneous  tribute  due  to  eminent  worth ;  and  it 
could  only  be  maintained  by  the  steady  and  faithful  culti- 
vation of  the  virtues  and  accomplishments  which  pro- 
cured it.  No  personal  slavery  was  permitted  :*  their 
captives  were  either  killed  or  adopted  as  a  portion  of  the 
nation.  The  children  of  the  chiefs  were  encouraged  to 
emulate  the  virtues  of  their  sires,  and  were  frequently  ele- 
vated to  the  dignities  occupied  by  their  progenitors.  From 
this  source  has  arisen  an  important  error  with  respect  to 
the  establishment  of  privileged  orders  among  the  Confed- 
rates. 

There  is  a  striking  similitude  between  the  Romans  and 
the  Confederates,  not  only  in  their  martial  spirit  and  rage 
for  conquest,  but  in  their  treatment  of  the  conquered. 
Like  the  Romans,  they  not  only  adopted  individuals,  but 
incorporated  the  remnant  of  their  vanquished  enemies 
into  their  nation,  by  which  they  continually  recruited 
their  population,  exhausted  by  endless  and  wasting  wars, 
and  were  enabled  to  continue  their  career  of  victory  and 
desolation  :  if  their  unhappy  victims  hesitated  or  lefused, 
they  were  compelled  to  accept  of  the  honors  of  adoption. 

*  Golden,  vol.  1.,  p.  11 


218  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

The  Hurons  of  the  Island  of  Orleans,  in  1656,  knowing 
no  other  way  to  save  themselves  from  destruction,  solicited 
admission  into  the  canton  of  the  Mohawks,  and  were  ac- 
cepted ;  but  at  the  instance  of  the  French,  they  declined 
their  own  proposal.  On  this  occasion  the  Mohawks  con- 
tinued their  ravages,  and  compelled  acquiescence ;  they 
sent  thirty  of  their  warriors  to  Quebec,  who  took  them 
away,  w^ith  the  consent  of  the  governor  general ;  he,  in 
fact,  not  daring  to  refuse,  after  having  addressed  him  in 
the  following  terms  of  proud  defiance  ;  which  cannot 
but  bring  to  our  recollection  similar  instances  of  Roman 
spirit,  when  Rome  was  free.*  "  Lift  up  thy  arm,  Onon- 
thio,  and  allow  thy  children,  whom  thou  boldest  pressed 
to  thy  bosom,  to  depart ;  for  if  they  are  guilty  of  any  im- 
prudence, have  reason  to  dread,  lest  in  coming  to  chastise 
them,  my  blows  fall  on  thy  head."  Like  the  Romans, 
also,  they  treated  their  vassal  nations  with  extreme  rigor. 
If  there  were  any  delay  in  the  render  of  ihe  annual  tri- 
bute, military  execution  followed,  and  the  wretched  delin- 
quents frequently  took  refuge  in  the  houses  of  the  English 
to  escape  from  destruction.  On  all  public  occasions  they 
took  care  to  demonstrate  their  superiority  and  dominion, 
and  at  all  times  they  called  their  vassals  to  an  awful  ac- 
count, if  guilty  of  violating  the  injunctions  of  the  great 
council.  At  a  treaty  held  on  the  forks  of  the  Delaware, 
in  1758,  by  the  governors  of  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jer- 
sey, with  the  Six  Nations,  several  claims  of  the  Munseys, 
Wapings,  and  other  Delaware  Indians,  for  lands  in  the 
latter  province,  were  adjusted  and  satisfied  under  the  cog- 
nizance of  the  Confederates,  who  ordered  them  to  deliver 

*  Heriot's  History  of  Canada,  p.  79.     {This  work  is  a  compilation 
principally  from  CJiarlevoix.) 


THE  iRoauois.  219 

up  their  prisoners,  and  to  be  at  peace  with  the  English, 
and  who  assumed  a  dictatorial  tone,  and  appeared  to  ex- 
ercise absolute  authority  over  the  other  Indians.*  At  a 
former  conference  on  this  subject,  a  Munsey,  or  Minisink 
Indian  had  spoken  sitting,  not  being  allowed  to  stand, 
until  a  Cayuga  Chief  had  spoken ;  when  the  latter  thus 
expressed  himself:  "  I,  who  am  the  Mingoian,  am  by  this 
belt  to  inform  you  that  the  Munseys  are  women,  and  can- 
not hold  treaties  for  themselves  ;  therefore  I  am  sent  to 
inform  you,  that  the  invitation  you  gave  the  Munseys  is 
agreeable  to  us,  the  Six  Nations." 

At  a  treaty  held  at  Lancaster  in  1742,  by  the  govern- 
ment of  Pennsylvania  with  the  Iroquois,  the  governor 
complained  of  the  Delawares,  who  refused  to  remove 
from  some  lands  which  they  had  sold  on  the  River  Dela- 
ware, f  On  this  occasion  a  great  chief  called  Cannassa- 
teegoo,  after  severely  reprimanding  them,  and  ordering 
them  to  depart  from  the  land  immediately  to  Wyoming  or 
Shamokin,  concluded  in  the  following  manner :  "  After 
our  just  reproof  and  absolute  order  to  depart  from  the 
land,  you  are  now  to  take  notice  of  what  we  have  further 
to  say  to  you.  This  string  of  wampum  serves  to  forbid 
you,  your  children,  and  grand-children,  to  the  latest  pos- 
terity, from  ever  meddling  in  land  affairs  ;  neither  you, 
nor  any  who  shall  descend  from  you,  are  ever  hereafter  to 
sell  any  land.  For  this  purpose  you  are  to  preserve  this 
string,  in  memory  of  what  your  uncles  have  this  day 
given  you  in  charge.  We  have  some  other  business  to 
transact  with  our  brethren,  and  therefore  depart  the 
council,  and  consider  what  has  been  said  to  you."     The 

*  Smith's  New  Jersey,  466,  &c. 
t  Golden,  vol.  1.  p.  31. 


220  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

Confederates  had  captured  a  great  part  of  the  Shaw- 
anese  Nation  who  lived  on  the  Wabash,  but  afterward, 
by  the  mediation  of  Mr.  Penn,  at  the  first  settlement  of 
Pennsylvania,  gave  them  liberty  to  settle  in  the  western 
parts  of  that  province  ;  but  obliged  them,  as  a  badge  of 
their  cowardice,  to  wear  female  attire  for  a  long  time : 
and  some  nations  as  low  down  as  1769,  were  not  per- 
mitted to  appear  ornamented  with  paint  *  at  any  general 
meeting  or  congress  where  the  Confederates  attended, 
that  being  an  express  article  in  their  capitulations,  t  This 
humiliation  of  the  tributary  nations  was,  how^ever,  tem- 
pered with  a  paternal  regard  for  their  interests  in  all  ne- 
gotiations with  the  whites  ;  and  care  was  taken  that  no 
trespasses  should  be  committed  on  their  rights,  and  that 
they  should  be  justly  dealt  with  in  all  their  concerns. 

War  was  the  favorite  pursuit  of  this  martial  people, 
and  military  glory  their  ruling  passion.  Agriculture, 
and  the  laborious  drudgery  of  domestic  life  were  left  to 
the  women.  The  education  of  the  savage  was  solely 
directed  to  hunting  and  war.  From  his  early  infancy  he 
was  taught  to  bend  the  bow,  to  point  the  arrow,  to  hurl 
the  tomahawk,  and  to  wield  the  club.  He  was  instructed 
to  pursue  the  footsteps  of  his  enemies  through  the  pathless 
and  unexplored  forest ;  to  mark  the  most  distant  indica- 
tions of  danger ;  to  trace  his  way  by  the  appearances  of 
the  trees  and  by  the  stars  of  heaven,  and  to  endure  fatigue, 
and  cold,  and  famine,  and  every  privation.  He  com- 
menced his  career  of  blood  by  hunting  the  wild  beasts  of 

*  Roger's  Concise  Account,  &c.  p.  209,  &c. 

t  This  is  the  Shawanese  nation  of  Indians,  who,  under  r. ;  auspices 
of  their  prophet,  have  lately  had  an  engagement  with  the  .  ;ny  under 
the  command  of  governor  Harrison. 


THE  iRoauois.  221 

the  woods,  and  after  learning  the  dexterous  use  of  the 
weapons  of  destruction,  he  lifted  his  sanguinary  arn» 
against  his  fellow-creatures.  The  profession  of  a  warrior 
was  considered  the  most  illustrious  pursuit ;  their  youth 
looked  forward  to  the  time  when  they  could  march  against 
an  enemy,  with  all  the  avidity  of  an  epicure  for  the  sump- 
tuous dainties  of  a  Heliogabalus.  And  this  martial  ardor 
was  continually  thwarting  the  pacific  counsels  of  the 
elders,  and  enthralling  them  in  perpetual  and  devas- 
tating wars.  With  savages  in  general,  this  ferocious 
propensity  was  impelled  by  a  blind  fury,  and  was  but 
little  regulated  by  the  dictates  of  skill  and  judgment ;  on 
the  contrary,  with  the  Iroquois,  war  was  an  art.  All  their 
military  movements  were  governed  by  system  and  policy. 
They  never  attacked  a  hostile  country  until  they  had  sent 
out  spies  to  explore  and  to  designate  its  vulnerable  points, 
and  whenever  they  encamped,  they  observed  the  greatest 
circumspection  to  guard  against  surrprize  ;  whereas  the 
other  savages  only  sent  out  scouts  to  reconnoitre ;  but 
they  never  went  far  from  the  camp,  and  if  they  returned 
without  perceiving  any  signs  of  an  enemy,  the  whole  band 
went  quietly  to  sleep,  and  were  often  the  victims  of  their 
rash  confidence.* 

Whatever  superiority  of  force  the  Iroquois  might  have, 
they  never  neglected  the  use  of  stratagems  :  they  employed 
all  the  crafty  wiles  of  the  Carthagenians.  The  cunning  of 
the  fox,  the  ferocity  of  the  tiger,  and  the  power  of  the  lion 
were  united  in  their  conduct.  They  preferred  to  vanquish 
their  enemy  by  taking  him  off  his  guard  ;  by  involving  him 
in  an  ambuscade  ;  by  falling  upon  him  in  the  hour  of  sleep ; 
but  when  emergencies  rendered  it  necessary  for  them  to 

*  Golden,  vol.  1.  p.  110.     Heriot,  p.  15. 


222  UE    WITT    CLINTON. 

face  him  in  the  open  field  of  battle,  they  exhibited  a  cour- 
age and  contempt  of  death  which  have  never  been  sur- 
passed. 

Although  we  have  no  reason  to  believe  that  they  were, 
generally  speaking,  Anthropophagi,  yet  we  have  no  doubt 
but  that  they  sometimes  eat  the  bodies  of  their  enemies 
killed  in  battle,  more  indeed  for  the  purpose  of  exciting 
their  ferocious  fury  than  for  gratifying  their  appetite.  Like 
all  other  savage  nations,  they  delighted  in  cruelty.  To 
inflict  the  most  exquisite  torture  upon  their  captive,  to 
produce  his  death  by  the  most  severe  and  protracted  suf- 
ferings, was  sanctioned  by  general  and  immemorial  usage. 
Herodotus  informs  us,  that  the  Scythians  (who  were,  in 
all  probability,  the  ancestors  of  the  greater  part  of  our  red 
men),  drank  the  blood  of  their  enemies,  and  suspended 
their  scalps  from  the  bridle  of  their  horses,  for  a  napkin 
and  a  trophy ;  that  they  used  their  sculls  for  drinking  ves- 
sels, and  their  skins  as  a  covering  to  their  horses.*  In  the 
war  between  the  Carthagenians  and  their  mercenaries, 
Gisco,  a  Carthagenian  General,  and  seven  hundred  pri- 
soners, according  to  Polybius,  were  scalped  alive ;  and  in 
return,  Spendius,  a  General  of  the  mercenaries,  was  cru- 
cified, and  the  prisoners  taken  in  the  war  thrown  alive  to 
the  elephants.f  From  these  celebrated  nations  we  may 
derive  the  practice  of  scalping,  so  abhorrent  to  humanity ; 
and  it  is  not  improbable,  considering  the  maritime  skill 
and  distant  voyages  of  the  Phoenicians  and  Carthagenians, 
that  America  derives  part  of  its  population  from  that 
source  by  water,  as  it  undoubtedly  has  from  the  northeast 

*  Beloe's  Herodotus,  vol.  2.  p.  419. 
t  Polybius,  b.  1.  chap.  6. 


THE  iRoauois.  223 

parts  of  Asia  by  land,  with  the  exception  of  a  narrow 
strait. 

But  the  Five  Nations,  notwithstanding  their  horrible 
cruelty,  are  in  one  respect  entitled  to  singular  commenda- 
tion for  the  exercise  of  humanity :   those  enemies  they 
spared  in  battle  they  made  free ;  whereas,  with  all  other 
barbarous  nations,  slavery  was  the  commutation  of  death. 
But  it  becomes  not  us,  if  we  value  the  characters  of  our 
forefathers  ;  it  becomes  not  the  civilized  nations  of  Europe 
who  have  had  American  possessions,  to  inveigh  against 
the  merciless  conduct  of  the  savage.     His  appetite  for 
blood  was  sharpened  and  whetted  by  European  instiga- 
tion, and  his  cupidity  was  enlisted  on  the  side  of  cruelty 
by  every  temptation.     In  the  wars  between   France  and 
England  and  their  colonies,  their  Indian   allies  were  en- 
titled to  a  premium  for  every  scalp  of  an  enemy.     In  the 
war  preceding   1703,  the  government  of  Massachusetts 
gave  twelve  pounds  for  every  Indian  scalp ;  in  that  year 
the  premium  was  raised  to  forty  pounds,  but  in   1722  it 
was  augmented  to  one  hundred  pounds.*     An  act  was 
passed  on  the  25th  February,  1745,  by  our  colonial  legis- 
lature, entitled  "  An  act  for  giving  a  reward  for  such  scalps 
and  prisoners  as  shall  be  taken  by  the  inhabitants  of  (or 
Indians  in  alliance  with)  this  colony,  and  to  prevent  the 
inhabitants  of  the  city  and  county  of  Albany  from  selling 
rum  ]to  the  Indians."!    In  1746,  the  scalps  of  two  French- 
men were  presented  to  one  of  our  colonial  governors  at 
Albany,  by  three  of  the  confederate  Indians ;  and  his  ex- 
cellency,   after   gratifying    them    with    money   and   fine 

*  Douglass'  Summary,  p.  199.  586.     Holmes'  American  Annals, 
vol.  2.  p.  116. 

t  Journals  of  Colonial  Assembly,  vol.  1.  p.  95. 


224  DE    WITT    CLIJVTOIV. 

clothes,  assured  them  how  well  he  took  this  special  mark 
of  their  fidelity,  and  that  he  would  always  remember  this 
act  of  friendship.*  The  employment  of  savages,  and  put- 
ting into  their  hands  the  scalping  knife  during  our  revolu- 
tionary war,  were  openly  justified  in  the  House  of  Lords 
by  Lord  Suffolk,  the  British  Secretary  of  State,  who  vin- 
dicated its  policy  and  necessity,  and  declared  "  that  the 
measure  was  also  allowable  on  principle ;  for  that  it  was 
perfectly  justifiable  to  use  all  the  means  that  God  and  na- 
ture had  put  into  their  hands.f"  The  eloquent  rebuke  of 
Lord  Chatham  has  perpetuated  the  sentiment,  and  con- 
signed its  author  to  immortal  infamy.  It  were  to  be  wish- 
ed, for  the  honor  of  human  nature,  that  an  impenetrable 
veil  could  be  drawn  over  these  horrid  scenes  ;  but,  alas ! 
they  are  committed  to  the  imperishable  pages  of  history, 
and  they  are  already  recorded  with  the  conflagrations  of 
Smithfield,  the  massacres  of  St.  Bartholomew,  and  the 
cannibal  barbarities  of  the  French  revolution. 

The  conquests  and  military  achievements  of  the  Iro- 
quois were  commensurate  with  their  martial  ardor,  their 
thirst  for  glory,  their  great  courage,  their  invincible  per- 
severance, and  their  political  talents.  Their  military  ex- 
cursions were  extended  as  far  north  as  Hudson's  Bay. 
The  Mississippi  did  not  form  their  western  limits ;  their 
power  was  felt  in  the  most  southern  and  eastern  extremi- 
ties of  the  United  States.  Their  wars  have  been  supposed, 
by  one  writer,  to  have  been  carried  near  to  the  Isthmus 
of  Darien.J  And  Cotton  Mather,  in  his  Magnalia,  which 
was  probably  written  in  1698,  describes  them  as  terrible 

*  Golden,  vol.  2.  p.  120. 

t  Belsham. 

t  Rogers's  America,  p.  209. 


THE  iRoauois.  225 

cannibals  to  the  westward,  who  have  destroyed  no  less 
than  two  millions  of  other  savages.* 

The  ostensible  causes  of  war  among  the  Indians  were 
like  many  of  those  of  civilized  nations  ;  controversies  about 
limits,  violations  of  the  rights  of  embassy,  individual  or 
national  wrongs :  And  the  real  and  latent  reasons  were 
generally  the  same ;  the  enlargement  of  territory,  the  ex- 
tension of  dominion,  the  gratification  of  cupidity,  and  the 
acquisition  of  glory.  According  to  a  late  traveler,  a  war 
has  existed  for  two  centuries  between  the  Sioux  and  the 
Chippewas.f  For  an  infraction  of  the  rights  of  the  calu- 
met, the  Confederates  carried  on  a  war  of  thirty  years 
against  the  Choctaws.  J  For  a  violation  of  the  game  laws 
of  the  hunting  nations,  in  not  leaving  a  certain  number  of 
male  and  female  beavers  in  each  pond,  they  subdued  and 
nearly  destroyed  the  Illinois  ;§  and  they  appeared  to  have 
accurate  notions  of  the  rights  of  belligerents  over  contra- 
band articles ;  for  they  considered  all  military  implements 
carried  to  an  enemy  as  liable  to  seizure ;  but  they  went 
farther,  and,  conceiving  this  conduct  a  just  ground  of  war, 
treated  the  persons  supplying  their  enemies,  as  enemies, 
and  devoted  them  to  death.  But  the  commerce  in  furs 
and  peltries,  produced  by  their  intercourse  with  the  Euro- 
peans, introduced  a  prolific  source  of  contention  among 
them,  and  operated  like  opening  the  box  of  Pandora. 
Those  articles  were  eagerly  sought  after  by  the  whites, 
and  the  red  men  were  equally  desirous  of  possessing  iron, 
arms,  useful  tools,  cloths,  and  the  other  accommodations 

•  Roger's  America,  p.  728. 

t  Smith's  New  York,  p.  52. 

I  Pike's  Expedition  to  the  Sources  of  the  Mississippi,  &c..  p.  64. 

§  See  Garangula's  Speech,  in  Appendix,  No.  1. 


236  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

of  civilized  life.  Before  the  arrival  of  the  Europeans,  furs 
were  only  esteemed  for  their  use  as  clothing ;  but  when 
the  demand  increased,  and  an  exchange  of  valuable  arti- 
cles took  place,  it  became  extremely  important  to  occupy 
the  most  productive  hunting  grounds,  and  to  monopolize 
the  best  and  the  most  furs.  And  it  was  sometimes  the 
policy  of  the  French  to  divert  the  attacks  of  the  Iroquois 
from  the  nations  with  whom  they  traded,  by  instigating 
them  to  hostilities  against  the  Southern  Indians  friendly 
to  the  English  colonies  ;  and  at  other  times  they  excited 
wars  between  their  northern  allies  and  the  Iroquois,  in 
order  to  prevent  the  former  from  trading  with  the  Eng- 
lish, which  they  preferred,  because  they  could  get  their 
goods  cheaper.  On  the  other  hand,  the  English  entangled 
the  Confederates  in  all  their  hostilities  with  the  French  and 
their  Indian  allies.  The  commerce  in  furs  and  peltries 
was  deemed  so  valuable  that  no  exertion  or  expense 
was  spared  in  order  to  affect  a  monopoly.  The  goods 
of  the  English  were  so  eagerly  sought  after  by  the 
Indians,  and  so  much  preferred  to  those  of  the  French, 
that  the  latter  were  compelled  to  procure  them  from  the 
colony  of  New  York ;  from  which  they  were  conveyed  to 
Montreal,  and  distributed  among  the  savages.  It  was 
then  evident,  that  the  English  had  it  in  their  power,  not 
only  to  undersell  the  French,  but  by  a  total  interdiction  of 
those  supplies,  to  expel  them  from  the  trade.  The  en- 
lightened poUcy  of  Gov.  Burnet  dictated  the  most  ener- 
getic steps,  and  a  colonial  law  was  passed  for  the  purpose.* 
He  also  established  trading  houses,  and  erected  a  fort  at 
Oswego,  at  the  entrance  of  Onondaga  river  into  Lake 

*  Colden's  Five  Nations,  vol.  1.,  p.  95.    Smith's  New  York,  p.  224, 
&c.     Herriot's  Canada,  p.  174 


THE    IROQUOIS.  227 

Ontario.  This  position  was  judiciously  selected,  not  only 
on  account  of  its  water  communication  with  a  great  part 
of  the  IroquoJs  territory,  but  for  the  facility  with  which 
articles  could  be  transported  to  and  from  Schenectady  ; 
there  being  but  three  portages  in  the  whole  route,  two  of 
which  were  very  short.  It  had  another  decided  advan- 
tage. The  Indian  navigation  of  the  lakes  being  in  canoes, 
is  necessarily  along  the  coast.  The  southern  side  of  Lake 
Ontario  affording  a  much  more  secure  route  than  the 
northern,  all  the  Indians  who  came  from  the  great  lakes, 
would,  on  their  way  to  Canada,  have  to  pass  close  by  the 
English  establishment,  where  they  could  be  supplied  at  a 
cheaper  rate,  and  at  a  less  distance.  Oswego  then  became 
one  great  emporium  of  the  fur  trade  ;  and  its  ruins  now  pro- 
claim the  vestiges  of  its  former  prosperity.  The  French 
perceived  all  the  consequences  of  those  measures,  and 
they  immediately  rebuilt  the  fort  at  Niagara,  in  order  that 
they  might  have  a  commercial  establishment  two  hundred 
miles  nearer  to  the  western  Indians  than  that  at  Oswego. 
Having  previously  occupied  the  mouth  of  the  Lake  Ontario 
by  Fort  Frontenac,  the  fort  at  Niagara  now  gave  them  a 
decided  advantage  in  point  of  position.  The  act  passed 
bv  Gov.  Burnet's  recommendation  was,  under  the  influ- 
ence  of  a  pernicious  policy,  repealed  by  the  British  king. 
The  Iroquois  had  adopted  a  determined  resolution  to  ex- 
terminate the  French.  "  Above  these  thirty  years,"  says 
La  Hontan,  '■  their  ancient  counsellors  have  still  remon- 
strated to  the  warriors  of  the  Five  Nations,  that  it  was 
expedient  to  cut  off  all  the  savage  nations  of  Canada,  in 
order  to  ruin  the  commerce  of  the  French,  and  after  that 
to  dislodge  them  from  the  continent.  With  this  view 
they  have  carried  the  war  above  four  or  five  hundred 


228  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

leagues  off  their  country,  after  the  destroying  of  several 
different  nations."*  Charlevoix  was  impressed  with  the 
same  opinion  :  "  The  Iroquois,"  says  he,  "  are  desirous  of 
exercising  a  species  of  domination  over  the  whole  of  this 
great  continent,  and  to  render  themselves  the  sole  masters 
of  its  commerce."!  Finding  the  auxiliary  efforts  of  the 
English  rendered  abortive,  their  rage  and  fury  increased, 
and  the  terror  of  their  arms  was  extended  accordingly. 
At  a  subsequent  period,  they  appeared  to  entertain  differ- 
ent and  more  enlightened  views  on  this  subject.  They 
duly  appreciated  the  policy  of  averting  the  total  destruc- 
tion of  either  European  power ;  and  several  instances 
could  be  pointed  out,  by  which  it  could  be  demonstrated 
that  the  balance  of  power,  formerly  the  subject  of  so  much 
speculation  among  the  statesmen  of  Europe,  was  thorough- 
ly understood  by  the  Confederates  in  their  negotiations 
and  intercourse  with  the  French  and  English  colonies. 

To  describe  the  military  enterprises  of  this  people,  would 
be  to  delineate  the  progress  of  a  tornado  or  an  earth- 
quake. J 

•'Wide-wasting  Death,  up  to  the  ribs  in  blood,  with  giant  stroke 
widow' d  the  nations. "§ 

Destruction  followed  their  footsteps,  and  whole  nations 
subdued,  exterminated,  rendered  tributary,  expelled  from 
their  country,  or  mersed  in  their  conquerors,  declare  the 
superiority  and  the  terror  of  their  arms.     When  Cham- 

*  Vol.  1.  p.  270. 

t  Charlevoix's  Histoire  Generale  de  la  Nouvelle  France,  vol.  1.  b. 
11.  p.  480. 

X  For  the  military  exploits  of  the  Iroquois,  generally  speaking,  see 
De  la  Potheire,  La  Hontan,  Charlevoix,  Colden,  Smith,  and  Herriot. 

§  Cumberland's  Battle  of  Hastings. 


THE  iRoauois.  229 

plain  arrived  in  Canada,  in  1603,  he  found  them  at  war 
with  the  Hurons  and  Algonkins.  He  took  part  and  head- 
ed three  expeditions  against  them ;  in  two  of  which  he 
was  successful,  but  in  the  last  he  was  repulsed.  This  un- 
just and  impolitic  interference,  laid  the  foundation  of  con- 
tinual wars  between  the  French  and  the  Confederates. 
The  Dutch,  on  the  contrary,  entered  into  an  alliance  with 
them  on  their  first  settlement  of  the  country,  which  con- 
tinued without  interruption  ;  and  on  the  surrender  of  New 
York  to  the  English  in  1664,  Carteret,  one  of  the  com- 
missioners, was  sent  to  subdue  the  Dutch  at  Fort  Orange, 
now  Albany ;  which  having  effected,  he  had  a  conference 
with  the  Confederates,  and  entered  into  a  league  of  friend- 
ship; which  continued  without  violation  on  either  part.* 

The  conquests  of  the  Iroquois,  previous  to  the  discovery 
of  America,  are  only  known  to  us  through  the  imperfect 
channels  of  traditions ;  but  it  is  well  authenticated,  that 
since  that  memorable  era,  they  exterminated  the  nation  of 
the  Eries  or  Erigas,  on  the  south  side  of  Lake  Erie,  which 
has  given  a  name  to  that  lake.  They  nearly  extirpated 
the  Andastez  and  the  Chouanons ;  they  conquered  the 
Hurons,  and  drove  them  and  their  allies,  the  Ottawas, 
among  the  Sioux,  on  the  head  waters  of  the  Mississippi, 
"  where  they  separated  themselves  into  bands,  and  pro- 
claimed, wherever  they  went,  the  terror  of  the  Iroquois."t 
They  also  subdued  the  Illinois,  the  Miamies,  the  Algon- 
kins, the  Delawares,  the  Shawanese,  and  several  tribes  of 
the  Abenaquis.  After  the  Iroquois  had  defeated  the  Hu- 
rons, in  a  dreadful  battle  fought  near  Quebec,  the  Neper- 

*  Golden,  vol.  1,  p.  34.     Smith's  New  York.  p.  3.  31.     Douglass's 
Summary,  vol.  2.  p.  243. 
t  Herriot,  p.  77. 


230  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

ceneans,  who  lived  upon  the  St.  Lawrence,  fled  to  Hud- 
son's Bay  to  avoid  their  fury.  In  1649,  they  destroyed 
two  Huron  villages,  and  dispersed  the  Nation ;  and  after- 
ward they  destroyed  another  village  of  six  hundred  fami- 
lies. Two  villages  presented  themselves  to  the  Confede- 
rates, and  lived  with  them.  "  The  dread  of  the  Iroquois," 
says  the  historian,  "  had  such  an  effect  upon  all  the  other 
nations,  that  the  borders  of  the  river  Ontaouis,  which 
were  long  thickly  peopled,  became  almost  deserted,  with- 
out its  ever  being  known  what  became  of  the  greater  part 
of  the  inhabitants."*  The  Illinois  fled  to  the  westward, 
after  being  attacked  by  the  Confederates,  and  did  not  re- 
turn until  a  general  peace;  and  were  permitted  in  1760, 
by  the  Confederates,  to  settle  in  the  country  between  the 
Wabash  and  the  Scioto  rivers.f  The  banks  of  Lake  Su- 
perior were  lined  with  Algonkins,  who  sought  an  asylum 
from  the  Five  Nations  ;  they  also  harassed  all  the  northern 
Indians,  as  far  as  Hudson's  Bay,  and  they  even  attacked 
the  nations  on  the  Missouri.  When  La  Salle  was  among 
the  Natchez,  in  1683,  he  saw  a  party  of  that  people,  who 
had  been  on  an  expedition  against  the  Iroquois. J  Smith, 
the  founder  of  Virginia,  in  an  expedition  up  the  bay  of 
Chesapeake,  in  1608,  met  a  war  party  of  the  Confederates, 
then  going  to  attack  their  enemies. §  They  were  at  peace 
with  the  Cowetas  or  Creeks,  but  they  warred  against  the 
Catawbas,  the  Cherokees,  and  almost  all  the  southern  In- 

*  Herriot,  p.  70. 

t  Pownall's  Topographical  Description  of  such  Parts  of  North 
.\inerica  as  are  described  in  Evans'  Map,  1776,  p,  42. 

X  Tontis'  Account  of  De  la  Salle's  Last  Expedition.  Printed  in 
London  from  the  French  in  1698,  p.  112. 

?  Jefferson's  Notes,  310,  &c. 


THE  iRoauois.  231 

dians.*  The  two  former  sent  deputies  to  Albany,  where 
they  effected  a  peace  through  the  mediation  of  the  Eng- 
Hsh.  In  a  word,  the  Confederates  were,  with  a  few  ex- 
ceptions, the  conquerors  and  masters  of  all  the  Indian  na- 
tions east  of  the  Mississippi.  Such  was  the  terror  of  the 
nations,  that  when  a  single  Mohawk  appeared  on  the  hills 
of  New  England,  the  fearful  spectacle  spread  pain  and 
terror,  and  flight  was  the  only  refuge  from  death. f  Char- 
levoix mentions  a  singular  instance  of  this  terrific  ascen- 
dency :  Ten  or  twelve  Ottawas,  being  pursued  by  a  party 
of  Iroquois,  endeavored  to  pass  over  to  Goat  Island,  on  the 
Niagara  River,  in  a  canoe ;  they  were  swept  down  the 
cataract ;  and,  as  it  appeared,  preferred,  to  the  sword  of 
their  enemies,^ 

The  vast  immeasurable  abyss, 


Outrageous  as  a  sea,  dark,  wasteful,  wild, 
Up  from  the  bottom  turn'd.§ 

In  consequence  of  their  sovereignty  over  the  other  na- 
tions, the  Confederates  exercised  a  proprietary  right  in 
their  lands.  In  1742,  they  granted  to  the  province  of 
Pennsylvania  certain  lands  on  the  west  side  of  the  Sus- 
quehannah,  having  formerly  done  so  on  the  east  side.|| 
In  1744,  they  released  to  Maryland  and  Virginia  certain 
lands  claimed  by  them  in  those  colonies ;  and  they  de- 
clared at  this  treaty,  that  they  had  conquered  the  several 
nations  living  on  the  Susquehannah  and  Patowmac  rivers, 

*  Adair's  History  of  the  Indians. 

t  Golden,  vol.  1,  p.  3. 

X  Charlevoix,  vol.  3,  let,  15,  p.  234. 

I  Milton's  Paradise  Lost,  b.  7. 

II  Golden,  vol.  2,  p.  20. 


232  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

and  on  the  back  of  the  Great  Mountains  in  Virginia.*  In 
1754,  a  number  of  the  inhabitants  of  Connecticut  pur- 
chased of  them  a  large  tract  of  land  west  of  the  river 
Delaware,  and  from  thence  spreading  over  the  east  and 
west  branches  of  the  Susquehannah  River.f  In  1768, 
they  gave  a  deed  to  William  Trent  and  others,  for  land 
between  the  Ohio  and  Monongahela.  They  claimed  and 
sold  the  land  on  the  north  side  of  Kentucky  River. J  In 
1768,  at  a  treaty  held  at  Fort  Stanwix  with  Sir  William 
Johnson,  the  line  of  property,  as  it  was  commonly  de- 
nominated, was  settled,  marking  out  the  boundary  be- 
tween the  English  colonies  and  the  territory  of  the  Con- 
federates. § 

The  vicinity  of  the  Confederates  was  fortunate  for  the 
colony  of  New  York.  They  served  as  an  effectual  shield 
against  the  hostile  incursions  of  the  French,  and  their 
savage  allies.  Their  war  with  the  French  began  with 
Champlain,  and  continued,  with  few  intervals,  until  the 
treaty  of  Utrecht,  which  confirmed  the  surrender  of  Ca- 
nada, Nova  Scotia,  and  Acadia,  to  Great  Britain.  For 
near  a  century  and  a  half  they  maintained  a  war  against 
the  French  possessions  in  Louisiana  and  Canada,  some- 
times alone,  and  sometimes  in  conjunction  with  the  Eng- 
lish colonies.  During  this  eventful  period,  they  often 
maintained  a  proud  superiority ;  always  an  honorable  re- 
sistance ;  and  no  vicissitude  of  fortune,  or  visitation  of  ca- 
lamity, could  ever  compel  them  to  descend  from  the  ele- 
vated ground   which  they  occupied  in  their  own  estima- 

*  Massachusetts  Historical  Collections,  vol.  7,  p.  171,  &c. 
t  Massachusetts  Historical  Collections,  vol.  7,  p.  231. 
X  Holmes's  Annals,  vol.  2,  p.  287.     Jefferson's  Notes,  p.  296. 
5  Jefferson's  Notes,  p.  296. 


THE  iRoauois.  233 

tion,  and  in  the  opinion  of  the  nations,  Their  expeditions 
into  Canada  were  frequent ;  wherever  they  marched  ter- 
ror and  desolation  composed  their  train. 

"  And  Vengeance,  striding  from  his  grisly  den, 
With  fell  impatience  grinds  his  iron  teeth  ; 
And  Massacre,  unchidden,  cloys  his  famine, 
And  quaffs  the  blood  of  nations.* 

In  1683,  M.  Delabarre,  the  Governor-General  of  Cana- 
da, marched  with  an  army  against  the  cantons.  He  land- 
ed near  Oswego,  but  finding  himself  incompetent  to  meet 
the  enemy,  he  instituted  a  negociation,  and  demanded  a 
conference.  On  this  occasion,  Garangula,  an  Onondaga 
chief,  attended  in  behalf  of  his  country,  and  made  the  cele- 
brated reply  to  M.  Delabarre  which  I  shall  presently  no- 
tice. The  French  retired  from  the  country  with  disgrace. 
The  second  general  expedition  was  undertaken  in  1687, 
by  M.  Lenonville,  Governor-General.  He  had  treacher- 
ously seized  several  of  their  chiefs,  and  sent  them  to  the 
gallies  in  France.  He  was  at  the  head  of  an  army  ex- 
ceeding two  thousand  men.  He  landed  in  Irondequoit 
Bay,  and  when  near  a  village  of  the  Senecas,  was  attack- 
by  five  hundred,  and  would  have  been  defeated,  if  his  In- 
dian allies  had  not  rallied  and  repulsed  the  enemy.  After 
destroying  some  provisions,  and  burning  some  villages,  he 
retired  without  any  acquisition  of  laurels.  The  place  on 
which  this  battle  was  fought  has  been  within  a  few  years 
owned  by  Judge  Porter,  of  Grand  Niagara.  On  plough- 
ing the  land,  three  hundred  hatchets,  and  upward  of  three 
thousand  pounds  of  old  iron  were  found,  being  more  than 
sufficient  to  defray  the  expense  of  clearing  it. 

*  Glover's  Baodicea. 


234  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

The  Confederates,  in  a  year's  time,  compelled  their  ene- 
mies to  make  peace,  and  to  restore  their  chiefs.  It  was 
with  the  French  the  only  escape  from  destruction.  Great 
bodies  of  the  Confederates  threatened  Montreal,  and  their 
canoes  covered  the  Great  Lakes.  They  shut  up  the 
French  in  forts,  and  would  have  conquered  the  whole  of 
Canada  if  they  had  understood  the  art  of  attacking  forti- 
fied places.  This  peace  was  soon  disturbed  by  the  arti- 
fices of  Kondiaronk,  a  Huron  chief;  and  the  Iroquois 
made  an  irruption  on  the  Island  of  Montreal  with  one 
thousand  two  hundred  men,  destroying  everything  before 
them. 

The  third  and  last  grand  expedition  against  the  Confed- 
erates, was  undertaken  in  1697,  by  the  Count  De  Fron- 
tenac  ;  the  ablest  and  bravest  governor  that  the  French 
ever  had  in  Canada.  He  landed  at  Oswego,  with  a  power- 
ful force,  and  marched  to  the  Onondaga  Lake  ;  he  found 
their  principal  village  burnt  and  abandoned.  He  sent  seven 
hundred  men  to  destroy  the  Oneida  castle,  who  took  a  few 
prisoners.  An  Onondaga  chief,  upwards  of  one  hundred 
years  old,  was  captured  in  the  woods,  and  abandoned  to 
the  fury  of  the  French  savages.  After  sustaining  the  most 
horrid  tortures,  with  more  than  stoical  fortitude,  the  only 
complaint  he  was  heard  to  utter  was  when  one  of  them, 
actuated  by  compassion,  or  probably  by  rage,  stabbed  him 
repeatedly  with  a  knife,  in  order  to  put  a  speedy  end  to 
his  existence,  "  Thou  ought  not,"  said  he,  "  to  abridge  my 
life,  that  thou  might  have  time  to  learn  to  die  like  a  man. 
For  my  own  part,  I  die  contented,  because  I  know  no 
meanness  with  which  to  reproach  myself."  After  this 
tragedy,  the  Count  thought  it  prudent  to  retire  with  his 
army  ;  and  he  probably  would  have  fallen  a  victim  to  hi-' 


THE  iRoauois.  235 

temerity,  if  the  Senecas  had  not  been  kept  at  home,  from 
a  false  report  that  they  were  to  be  attacked  at  the  same 
time  by  the  Ottawas. 

After  the  general  peace  in  1762,  an  attempt  was  made 
by  a  number  of  the  western  Indians  to  destroy  the  British 
colonies.  The  Senecas  were  involved  in  this  war,  but  in 
1764,  Sir  William  Johnson,  styling  himself  his  Majesty's 
sole  agent  and  superintendent  of  Indian  affairs  for  the 
northern  parts  of  North  America,  and  colonel  of  the  Six 
United  Nations,  their  allies  and  dependents,  agreed  to  pre 
liminary  articles  of  peace  with  them.  In  this  treaty,  the 
Senecas  ceded  the  carrying  place  at  Niagara  to  Great 
Britain.  The  Confederates  remained  in  a  state  of  peace, 
until  the  commencement  of  the  Revolutionary  War.* 
On  the  19th  of  June,  1775,  the  Oneidas  and  some  other 
Indians,  sent  to  the  convention  of  Massachusetts  a  speech, 
declaring  their  neutrality  ;  stating  that  they  could  not  find 
nor  recollect  in  the  traditions  of  their  ancestors,  a  paralled 
case  ;  and  saying,  "  As  we  have  declared  for  peace,  we 
desire  you  would  not  apply  to  our  Indian  brethren  in  New 
England  for  assistance.  Let  us  Indians  be  all  of  one 
mind,  and  live  with  one  another ;  and  you  white  people 
settle  your  own  disputes  betwixt  yourselves. f  These  good 
dispositions  did  not  long  continue  with  most  of  the  Indian 
nations  ;  all  within  the  reach  of  British  blandishments  and 
presents  were  prevailed  upon  to  take  up  the  hatchet.  If 
is  calculated  that  twelve  thousand  six  hundred  and  ninety 
Indian  warriors  were  employed  by  the  British  during  the 
Revolutionary  War,  of  which  one  thousand  five  hundred 

"  Tnomas  Mante's  History  oi  the  late  war  in  North  America  &c, 
printed,  London,  1772,  p.  503. 

f  Williams'  History  of  Vermont,  vol.  2.,  p.  440. 


236  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

and  eighty  were  Iroquois.*  The  influence  of  Sir  WiUiam 
Johnson  over  the  savages  was  transmitted  to  his  son,  who 
was  most  successful  in  alluring  them  into  the  views  of 
Great  Britain.  "  A  great  war  feast  was  made  by  him  on 
the  occasion,  in  which,  according  to  the  horrid  phraseology 
of  these  barbarians,  they  were  invited  to  banquet  upon  a 
Bostonian,  and  to  drink  his  blood."t 

General  Burgoyne  made  a  speech  to  the  Indians  on  the 
21st  of  June,  1777,  urging  them  to  hostilities,  and  stating 
"  his  satisfaction  at  the  general  conduct  of  the  Indian 
tribes,  from  the  beginning  of  the  troubles  in  America." 
An  old  Iroquois  chief  answered,  "  We  have  been  tried  and 
tempted  by  the  Bostonians,  but  we  have  loved  our  father, 
and  our  hatchets  have  been  sharpened  on  our  affections. 
In  proof  of  the  sincerity  of  our  professions,  our  whole  vil- 
lages, able  to  go  to  war,  are  come  forth  ;  the  old  and  infirm, 
our  infants  and  our  wives,  alone  remain  at  home."  J  They 
realized  their  professions.  The  whole  Confederacy,  ex- 
cept a  little  more  than  half  of  the  Oneidas,  took  up  arms 
against  us.  They  hung  like  the  scythe  of  death  upon  the 
rear  of  our  settlements,  and  their  deeds  are  inscribed,  with 
the  scalping-knife  and  the  tomahawk,  in  characters  of 
blood,  on  the  fields  of  Wyoming  and  Cherry  Valley,  and 
on  the  banks  of  the  Mohawk. 

It  became  necessary  that  the  Confederates  should  re- 
ceive a  signal  chastisement  for  their  barbarous  and  cruel 
incursions ;  and  accordingly,  general  Sullivan,  with  an 
army  of  nearly  five  thousand  men,  marched  into  their 
country  in  the  year  1779.     Near  Newtown,  in  the  present 

*  Massachusetts  Historical  Society,  vol.  10,  p.  120,  &c. 

t  Belsham. 

X  Williams,  as  before  quoted,  vol.  2. 


THE  iRoauois,  237 

county  of  Tioga,  he  defeated  them,  and  drove  them  from 
their  fortifications ;  he  continued  his  march  between  the 
Cayuga  and  Seneca  Lakes,  and  through  their  territory,  as 
far  as  the  Genesee  River,  destroying  their  orchards,  corn- 
fields, and  forty  villages ;  the  largest  of  which  contained 
one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  houses.  This  expedition 
was  nearly  the  finishing  blow  to  savage  cruelty  and  inso- 
lence ;  their  habitations  were  destroyed  ;  their  provinces 
laid  waste  ;  they  were  driven  from  their  country,  and 
were  compelled  to  take  refuge  under  the  cannon  of  Niaga- 
ra ;  and  their  hostility  terminated  with  the  pacification 
with  Great  Britain. 

The  Confederates  were  as  celebrated  for  their  eloquence, 
as  for  their  military  skill  and  political  wisdom.  Popular, 
or  free  governments  have,  in  all  ages,  been  the  congenial 
soil  of  oratory.  And  it  is,  indeed,  all  important  in  insti- 
tutions merely  advisory ;  where  persuasion  must  supply 
the  place  of  coercion  ;  where  there  is  no  magistrate  to  ex- 
ecute, no  military  to  compel ;  and  where  the  only  sanc- 
tion of  law  is  the  controlling  power  of  public  opinion. 
Eloquence  being,  therefore,  considered  so  essential,  must 
always  be  a  great  standard  of  personal  merit,  a  certain 
road  to  popular  favor,  and  an  universal  passport  to  public 
honors.  These  combined  inducements  operated  with 
powerful  force  on  the  mind  of  the  Indian  ;  and  there  is 
Httle  doubt  but  that  oratory  was  studied  with  as  much 
care  and  application  among  the  Confederates,  as  it  was  in 
the  stormy  democracies  of  the  eastern  hemisphere.  I  do 
not  pretend  to  assert  that  there  were,  as  at  Athens  and 
Rome,  established  schools  and  professional  teachers  for  the 
purpose  ;  but  I  say  that  it  was  an  attainment  to  which 
they  devoted  themselves,  and  to  which  they  bent  the  whole 


238  DE    WITT    Cf.INTON. 

force  of  their  faculties.  Their  models  of  eloquence  were 
to  be  found,  not  in  books,  but  in  the  living  orators  of  their 
local  and  national  assemblies ;  their  children,  at  an  early 
period  of  life,  attended  their  councils  fires,  in  order  to  ob- 
serve the  passing  scenes,  and  to  receive  the  lessons  of  wis- 
dom. Their  rich  and  vivid  imagery  was  drawn  from  the 
sublime  scenery  of  nature,  and  their  ideas  were  derived 
from  the  laborious  operations  of  their  own  minds,  and  from 
the  experience  and  wisdom  of  their  ancient  sages. 

The  most  remarkable  difference  existed  between  the 
Confederates  and  the  other  Indian  nations  with  respect  to 
eloquence.  You  may  search  in  vain  in  the  records  and 
writings  of  the  past,  or  in  events  of  the  present  times,  for 
a  single  model  of  eloquence  among  the  Algonkins,  the 
Abenaquis,  the  Delawares,  the  Shawanese,  or  any  other 
nation  of  Indians,  except  the  Iroquois.  The  few  scintilla- 
tions of  intellectual  light — the  faint  glimmerings  of  genius, 
which  are  sometimes  to  be  found  in  their  speeches,  are  evi- 
dently derivative,  and  borrowed  from  the  Confederates. 

Considering  the  interpreters  who  have  undertaken  to 
give  the  meaning  of  Indian  speeches,  it  is  not  a  little  sur- 
prising that  some  of  them  should  approach  so  near  to  per- 
fection. The  major  part  of  the  interpreters  were  illiterate 
persons,  sent  among  them  to  conciliate  their  favor,  by 
making  useful  or  ornamental  implements  ;  or  they  were 
prisoners  who  learnt  the  Indian  language  during  their 
captivity.  The  Reverend  Mr.  Kirkland,  a  missionary 
among  the  Oneidas,  and  sometimes  a  public  interpreter, 
was  indeed  a  man  of  liberal  education ;  but  those  who 
have  seen  him  officiate  at  public  treaties  must  recollect 
how  incompetent  he  was  to  infuse  the  fire  of  Indian  ora- 
tory  into   his  expressions ;  how  he  labored    for    words, 


THE  lEoauois.  239 

and  how  feeble  and  inelegant  his  language.  Oral  is  more 
difficult  than  written  interpretation  or  translation.  In 
the  latter  case,  there  is  no  pressure  of  time,  and  we  have 
ample  opportunity  to  weigh  the  most  suitable  words,  to 
select  the  most  elegant  expressions,  and  to  fathom  the 
sense  of  the  author  ;  but  in  the  former  case,  we  are  called 
upon  to  act  immediately ;  no  time  tor  deliberation  is 
allowed  ;  and  the  first  ideas  that  occur  must  be  pressed 
into  the  service  of  the  interpreter.  At  an  ancient  treaty, 
a  female  captive  officiated  in  that  capacity  ;  and  at  a 
treaty  held  in  1722,  at  Albany,  the  speeches  of  the  Indians 
were  first  rendered  into  Dutch,  and  then  translated  into 
English.*  I  except  from  these  remarks,  the  speech  of  the 
Onondaga  chief,  Garangula,  to  M.  Delabarre,  delivered 
on  the  occasion  which  I  have  before  mentioned.  This 
was  interpreted  by  Monsieur  Le  Maine,  a  French  Jesuit, 
and  recorded  on  the  spot  by  Baron  La  Hontan — men  of 
enhghtened  and  cultivated  minds,  from  whom  it  has  been 
borrowed  by  Golden,  Smith,  Herriot,  Trumbull,  and  Wil- 
liams. I  believe  it  to  be  impossible  to  find,  in  all  the  effu- 
sions of  ancient  or  modern  oratory,  a  speech  more  appro- 
priate and  more  convincing.  Under  the  veil  of  respectful 
profession  it  conveys  the  most  biting  irony  ;  and  while  it 
abounds  with  rich  and  splendid  imagery,  it  contains  the 
most  solid  reasoning.  I  place  it  in  the  same  rank  with 
the  celebrated  speech  of  Logan ;  and  I  cannot  but  express 
astonishment  at  the  conduct  of  two  respectable  writers, 
who  have  represented  this  interesting  interview,  and  this 
sublime  display  of  intellectual  power,  as  "  a  scold  between 
the  French  generals  and  an  old  Indian."! 

*  Oldmixon's  British  Empire,  vol.  1.  p.  254. 
t  Golden  and  Smith. 


240  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

On  the  9th  of  February,  1690,  as  we  are  informed  by 
the  tradition  of  the  inhabitants,  although  history  has  fixed 
it  on  the  8th,  the  town  of  Schenectady,  which  then  con- 
sisted of  a  church  and  forty-three  houses,  was  surprised 
by  a  party  of  French  and  Indians  from  Canada  ;  a  dread- 
ful scene  of  conflagration  and  massacre  ensued ;  the 
greater  part  of  the  inhabitants  were  killed  or  made  priso- 
ners ;  those  that  escaped  fled  naked  toward  Albany,  in  a 
deep  snow  that  fell  that  very  night,  and  providentially  met 
sleighs  from  that  place,  which  returned  immediately  with 
them.  This  proceeding  struck  terror  into  the  inhabitants 
of  Albany,  who  were  about  to  abandon  the  country  in 
despair  and  consternation.  On  this  occasion  several  of 
the  Mohawk  chiefs  went  to  Albany,  to  make  the  cus- 
tomary speech  of  condolence,  and  to  animate  to  honorable 
exertion.  Their  speech  is  preserved  in  the  first  volume  of 
Colden's  History  of  the  Five  Indian  Nations  of  Canada  ; 
and  even  at  this  distant  period,  it  is  impossible  to  read  it 
without  sensibility,  without  respecting  its  affectionate 
sympathy,  and  admiring  its  magnanimous  spirit,  and  with- 
out ranking  it  among  the  most  respectable  models  of  elo- 
quence which  history  aftbrds.* 

In  1777  and  1778,  an  association  of  our  own  citizens, 
in  violation  of  law,  contracted  with  the  Six  Nations  for 
the  greater  part  of  their  territory,  on  a  lease  of  nine  hun- 
dred and  ninety-nine  years,  at  an  insignificant  annual  rent. 
These  proceedings  were,  on  the  motion  of  the  President 
of  this  Society,!  declared  void  in  March,  1788,  by  the 
authorities  of  the  State ;  and  when  their  true  character 
was  made  known  to  the  Indians — when  they  found  that 

*  Appendix,  No.  2. 
t  Egbert  Benson,  Esq. 


THE  jRoauois,  241 

their  country,  in  which  were  interred  the  bones  of  their 
ancestors,  was  sacrificed  to  the  overreaching  cupidity  of 
unauthorized  speculators,  the  greatest  anxiety  and  con- 
sternation prevailed  among  them.  The  Senecas  and 
Cayugas  repaired  to  Albany  to  confer  with  the  governor, 
but  having  no  speaker  at  that  time  of  sufficient  eminence 
and  talents  for  the  important  occasion,  they  employed 
Good  Peter,  or  Domine  Peter,  the  Cicero  of  the  Six  Na- 
tions, to  be  their  orator,  and  he  addressed  the  governor 
and  other  commissioners  in  a  speech  of  great  length  and 
ability.  It  was  replete  with  figurative  language :  the 
topics  were  selected  with  great  art  and  judgment.  I  took 
down  the  speech  from  the  mouth  of  the  interpreter,  and 
notwithstanding  the  imperfect  interpretation  of  Mr.  Kirk- 
land,  consider  it  a  rare  specimen  of  Indian  eloquence. 

Within  a  few  years,  an  extraordinary  orator  has  risen 
among  the  Senecas,  his  real  name  is  Saguoaha,  but  he  is 
commonly  called  Red  Jacket.  Without  the  advantages 
of  illustrious  descent,  and  with  no  extraordinary  talents 
for  war,  he  has  attained  the  first  distinctions  in  the  nation, 
by  the  force  of  his  eloquence.  His  predecessor  in  the 
honors  of  the  nation,  was  a  celebrated  chief,  denominated 
The  Cornplanter.  Having  lost  the  confidence  of  his 
countrymen,  in  order  to  retrieve  his  former  standing,  as 
it  is  supposed,  he  persuaded  his  brother  to  announce 
himself  as  a  prophet,  or  messenger  from  Heaven,  sent  to 
redeem  the  fallen  fortunes  of  the  Indian  race.  The  su- 
perstition of  the  savages  cherished  the  impostor,  and  he 
has  acquired  such  an  ascendancy,  as  to  prevail  upon  the 
Onondagas,  formerly  the  most  drunken  and  profligate  of 
the  Six  Nations,  to  abstain  entirely  from  spirituous  liquors, 

*  Appendix,  No.  3. 
16 


242  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

and  to  observe  the  laws  of  morality  in  other  respects.  He 
has  obtained  the  same  ascendancy  among  the  Confeder- 
ates, as  another  impostor  had  acquired  among  the  Shawa- 
nese,  and  other  western  Indians  ;  and  like  him,  he  has  also 
employed  his  influence  for  evil,  as  well  as  for  good  pur- 
poses. The  Indians  universally  believe  in  witchcraft ;  the 
prophet  inculcated  this  superstition,  and  proceeded,  through 
the  instrumentality  of  conjurers  selected  by  himself)  to 
designate  the  offenders,  who  were  accordingly  sentenced 
to  death :  and  the  unhappy  objects  would  have  been  ac- 
tually executed,  if  the  magistrates  at  Oneida  and  the  offi- 
cers of  the  garrison  at  Niagara  had  not  interfered.  This 
was  considered  an  artful  expedient  to  render  his  enemies 
the  objects  of  general  abhorrence,  if  not  the  victims  of 
an  ignominious  death.  Emboldened  by  success,  he  pro- 
ceeded, finally,  to  execute  the  views  of  his  brother,  and 
Red  Jacket  was  publicly  denounced  at  a  great  council  of 
Indians,  held  at  Buffalo  Creek,  and  was  put  upon  his 
trial.  At  this  crisis  he  well  knew  that  the  future  color  of 
his  life  depended  upon  the  powers  of  his  mind.  He  spoke 
in  his  defence  for  near  three  hours.  The  iron  brow  of 
superstition  relented  under  the  magic  of  his  eloquence ; 
he  declared  the  prophet  an  impostor  and  a  cheat.  He 
prevailed :  the  Indians  divided,  and  a  small  majority  ap- 
peared in  his  favor.  Perhaps  the  annals  of  history  cannot 
furnish  a  more  conspicuous  instance  of  the  triumph  and 
power  of  oratory,  in  a  barbarous  nation,  devoted  to  su- 
perstition, and  looking  up  to  the  accuser  as  a  delegated 
minister  of  the  Almighty. 

I  am  well  aware  that  the  speech  of  Logan  will  be  tri- 
umphantly quoted  against  me,  and  that  it  will  be  said  that 
the  most  splendid  exhibition  of  Indian  eloquence  may  be 


THE  iRoauois.  243 

found  out  of  the  pale  of  the  Six  Nations.  I  fully  subscribe 
to  the  eulogium  of  Mr.  Jefferson,  when  he  says,  "  I  may 
challenge  the  whole  orations  of  Demosthenes  and  Cicero, 
and  of  any  more  eminent  orator,  if  Europe  has  furnished 
more  eminent,  to  produce  a  single  passage  superior  to  the 
speech  of  Logan."  But  let  it  be  remembered  that  Logan 
was  a  Mingo  chief,  the  second  son  of  Shikellemus,  a  cele- 
brated Cayuga  chief,  and  consequently  belonged  to  the 
Confederates,  although  he  did  not  live  in  their  patrimonial 
territory.  The  Iroquois  had  sent  out  several  colonies  ; 
one  of  them  was  settled  at  Sandusky,  and  was  estimated 
to  contain  300  warriors  in  1768.  Another  was  established 
on  a  branch  of  the  Scioto,  and  had  60  warriors  in  1779.* 

To  this  I  may  add  the  testimony  of  Charlevoix,  who 
may  be  justly  placed  in  the  first  rank  of  able  and  learned 
writers  on  American  affairs,  and  who  entertained  all  the 
prejudices  of  his  country  against  the  Confederacy.  Speak- 
ing of  Joncaire,  who  had  been  adopted  by  the  Senecas, 
and  who  had  obtained  their  consent  for  the  establishment 
of  a  fort  at  Niagara,  he  says,  "  II  parla  avec  tout  I'esprit 
d'un  Fran9ois,  qui  en  a  beaucoup  et  la  plus  sublime  elo- 
quence Iroquoise."  He  spoke  with  all  the  energetic  spirit 
of  a  Frenchman,  and  with  the  most  sublime  eloquence  of 
an  Iroquois. t 

It  cannot,  I  presume,  be  doubted,  but  that  the  Confeder- 
ates were  a  peculiar  and  extraordinary  people,  contra- 
distinguished from  the  mass  of  the  Indian  nations  by  great 

*  Jefferson's  Notes. 

t  Charlevoix,  letter  15,  p.  243.     Quere.     Is  this  the  Captain  Jon- 
caire who  is  mentioned  in  General  (then  Colonel)  Washington's  jour- 
nal of  his  mission  to  the  Ohio  ■?    ^ee  Marshall's  Life  of  Washing 
ton,  vol.  2,  note  1. 


244  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

attainments  in  polity,  in  government,  in  negotiation,  in 
eloquence,  and  in  war.  La  Hontan  asserts  that  "  they 
are  of  a  larger  stature,  and  withal,  more  valiant  and  cun- 
ning than  the  other  nations.''*  Charlevoix  derives  their 
name  of  Agonnonsioni,  from  their  superior  skill  and  taste 
in  architecture. t  The  perspicacious  and  philosophical 
Pennant,  after  fully  weighing  their  character,  qualities,  and 
physical  conformation,  pronounced  them  the  descendants 
of  the  Tschutski,  who  reside  on  a  peninsula  which  forms 
the  most  north-easterly  part  of  Asia,  who  are  a  free  and 
brave  race,  and  in  size  and  figure  superior  to  every 
neighboring  nation.  The  Russians  have  never  been  able 
to  effect  their  conquest.  They  cherish  a  high  sense  of 
liberty,  constantly  refuse  to  pay  tribute,  and  are  supposed 
to  have  sprung  from  that  fine  race  of  Tartars,  the  Kabar- 
dinski,  or  inhabitants  of  Kabarda.f 

But  there  is  a  striking  discrimination  between  this  na- 
tion and  the  great  body  of  the  Indian  tribes,  which  re- 
mains to  be  mentioned.  Charlevoix  has  the  singular  merit 
of  having  rejected  the  common  mode  of  ascertaining  the 
identity  of  national  origin,  from  a  coincidence  in  customs 
and  manners,  and  of  having  pointed  out  a  similarity  of 
language  as  the  best  and  the  surest  criterion.  As  far  back 
as  La  Hontan,  whose  voyages  were  published  in  1703,  and 
who  was  well  acquainted  with  the  Indian  languages,  it 
was  understood  by  him,  that  there  were  but  two  mother 
tongues,  the  Huron  and  the  Algonkin,  in  the  whole  extent 
of  Canada,  as  far  west  as  the  Mississippi ;  and  in  a  list 
which  he  gives  of  the  Indian  nations,  it  appears  that  they 

*  Vol.  2,  p.  4. 

t  Charlevoix,  vol.  1,  b.  6,  p.  271. 

X  Pennant's  Arctic  Zoology,  vol.  1,  p.  181,  186,  262. 


THE    IROQUOIS.  245 

all  spoke  the  Algonkin  language  in  different  dialects,  ex- 
cept the  Hurons  and  the  Confederates  ;  the  difference  be- 
tween whose  languages  he  considers  as  not  greater  than 
that  between  the  Norman  and  the  French.  This  opinion 
has  been  supported  and  confirmed  by  the  concurring  tes- 
timony of  Carver,  Charlevoix,  Rogers,  Barton,  Edwards, 
Mackenzie,  and  Pike,  with  these  qualifications,  that  the 
Sioux,  or  Naudowessies,  and  the  Assiniboils,  together  with 
many  nations  of  Indians  to  the  west  of  the  Mississippi, 
speak  a  distinct  original  language ;  and  it  is  not  perfectly 
settled,  whether  the  Creeks,  and  the  other  southern  Indians 
in  their  vicinity,  use  a  parent  language  ;  or  under  which 
of  the  three  great  parent  ones  theirs  must  be  classed. 
Carver  speaks  of  the  Chippewa  ;  Edwards,  of  the  Mohe- 
gan ;  Barton,  of  the  Delaware  ;  Rogers,  of  the  Ottaway, 
as  the  most  prevailing  language  in  North  America;  but 
they  all  agree  in  the  similarity.  Dr.  Edwards  asserts, 
that  the  language  of  the  Delawares,  in  Pennsylvania;  of 
the  Penobscots,  bordering  on  Nova  Scotia  ;  of  the  Indians 
of  St.  Francis,  in  Canada ;  of  the  Shawanese,  on  the 
Ohio ;  of  the  Chippewas,  at  the  westward  of  Lake  Huron  ; 
of  the  Ottawas,  Nanticockes,  Munsees,  Minonionees, 
Misiuagues,  Sasskies,  Ottagamies,  Killestones,  Mipegois, 
Algonkins,  Winnebagoes,  and  of  the  several  tribes  in 
New  England,  are  radically  the  same ;  and  the  variations 
are  to  be  accounted  for  from  the  want  of  letters,  and  of 
communication.  On  the  other  hand,  that  the  Confederates 
and  the  Hurons  were  originally  of  the  same  stock,  may  be 
inferred,  not  only  from  the  sameness  of  their  language,  but 
from  their  division  into  similar  tribes.*     From  this,  we 

*  Trumbuirs  Connecticut,  vol.  1,  p.  43.     Henry's  Travels  in  Cana- 
da, p.  250,  299,  325.     Carver's  Travels,  p.  170.     Mackenzie's  Voya- 


246  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

may  rationally  conclude,  that  those  nations  were  descended 
from  an  Asiatic  stock,  radically  different  from  that  of  the 
great  body  of  Indians  who  were  spread  over  North 
America ;  and  that  the  superior  qualities  of  the  Iroquois 
may  be  ascribed,  as  well  to  the  superiority  of  their  origin, 
as  to  the  advantages  of  position,  the  maxims  of  policy, 
and  the  principles  of  education,  which  distinguished  them 
from  the  other  red  inhabitants  of  this  western  world.  And 
they  were,  indeed,  at  all  times  ready  and  willing  to  cherish 
the  sentiment  of  exaltation  which  they  felt ;  and  believing 
that  they  excelled  the  rest  of  mankind,  they  called  them- 
selves Ongue-Honwe,  that  is,  men  surpassing  all  others.* 

It  is  extremely  difficult  to  speak,  with  any  precision,  of 
the  ancient  population  of  the  Indian  nations.  The  Pow- 
hatan confederacy,  or  empire,  as  it  was  called,  contained 
one  inhabitant  for  every  square  mile ;  and  the  proportion 
of  warriors  to  the  whole  number  of  inhabitants  was  three 
to  ten.f  If  this  is  to  afford  a  just  rule  for  estimating  the 
Confederates,  it  would  be  easy  to  ascertain  their  number, 
and  to  adjust  the  relative  proportion  of  their  fighting  men. 
Supposing  their  patrimonial  or  dwelling  country  to  be 
three  hundred  miles  in  length,  and  one  hundred  m  breadth, 
the  whole  number  of  square  miles  would  be  thirty  thou- 

ges,  p.  280.  Charlevoix,  vol.  3,  Letters  11th  and  12th.  Jeffery's 
Natural  and  Civil  History  of  the  French  Dominions  in  North  and 
South  America,  p.  45,  50.  Rogers's  North  America,  p.  246.  Barton's 
Views,  p.  470.  Pike's  Expedition,  p.  65.  Edwards'  Observations  on 
the  Language  of  the  Muhhekanew  Indians.  La  Hontan's  New  Voya- 
ges, vol.  1,  p.  270,  vol.  2,  p.  287. 

*  Colden,  vol.  1,  p.  2. 

t  JefTerson's  Notes,  p.  141,  &c. 


THE  iRoauois.  247 

sand;  and  the  number  of  souls  the  same.*  Some  writers 
state  the  number  of  their  warriors,  at  the  first  European 
settlement,  to  be  fifteen  thousand,  which  would  make  a 
population  of  fifty  thousand.  La  Hontan  says,  that  each 
village,  or  canton,  contained  about  fourteen  thousand 
souls;  that  is,  one  thousand  five  hundred  that  bear  arms, 
two  thousand  superannuated  men,  four  thousand  women, 
two  thousand  maids,  and  four  thousand  children ;  though, 
indeed,  some  say,  that  each  village  has  not  above  ten  or 
eleven  thousand  souls.  On  the  first  statement  they  would 
have  seven  thousand  five  hundred,  and  on  the  last  about 
five  thousand  three  hundred  and  sixty  fighting  men. 

Col.  Coursey,  an  agent  of  Virginia,  had  in  1677  a  con- 
ference with  the  Five  Nations  at  Albany.     The  number  of 
warriors  was  estimated,  at  that  time  and  place,  as  follows : — 
Mohawks,  -  -  -  -  -      300 

Oneidas,         ..  ...  200 

Onondagas,  .....      350 

Cayugas,       -  .  -  -  .  300 

Senecas,  .....    1,000 

Total,  2,150 
which  would  make  the  whole  population  near  seven  thou- 
sand two  hundred. t 

*  On  this  subject  see  Trumbull's  History  of  the  United  States,  vol. 
1,  p.  30,  &c.  Williams's  Vermont,  vol.  1,  p.  215,  &c.  Douglass's 
Summary,  vol.  1,  p.  185.  Mass.  Historical  Society,  vol.  5,  p.  13,  16, 
23,  &c.  Mass.  Historical  Society,  vol.  10,  p.  122,  &c.  Morse's  Ga- 
zetteer of  the  Six  Nations.  La  Hontan,  vol.  1,  p.  23,  &c.  Jeflferson's. 
Notes,  p.  151.    Holmes'  American  Annals,  vol.  1,  p.  45 ;  vol.  2,  p.  137. 

t  Vide  Chalmer's  Political  Annals,  p.  606,  which  contains  the  jour- 
ney of  Wentworth  and  Greenshulp,  from  Albany  to  the  Five  Nations,, 
begun  28th  May,  1677,  and  ended  14th  July  following.  The  Mo- 
hawks had  four  towns  and  one  village,  containing  only  one  hundred 
houses.    The  Oneidas  had  one  town,  containmg  one  hundred  houses. 


248  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

Smith  says,  that  in  1756,  the  whole  number  of  fighting 
men  was  about  one  thousand  two  hundred.  Douglass 
says,  that  in  1760  it  was  one  thousand  five  hundred.  In 
the  first  case,  the  whole  population  would  be  four  thou- 
sand ;  and  in  the  last,  five  thousand. 

In  1764,  Col.  Bouquet,  from  the  information  of  a  French 
trader,  stated  the  whole  number  of  inhabitants  to  be  one 
thousand  five  hundred  and  fifty.  Captain  Hutchins,  who 
visited  most  of  the  Indian  nations  for  the  express  pur- 
pose of  learning  their  number,  represents  them  to  be  two 
thousand  one  hundred  and  twenty  in  1768 ;  and  Dodge,  an 
Indian  trader,  says,  that  in  1779  they  were  one  thousand 
six  hundred.  These  three  estimates  are  taken  from  Jef- 
ferson's Notes  on  Virginia ;  and,  although  they  apparently 
relate  to  the  whole  population,  yet  I  am  persuaded  that 
the  statements  were  only  intended  to  embrace  the  number 
of  warriors. 

During  the  revolutionary  war,  the  British  had  in  their 
service,  according  to  the  calculation  of  a  British  agent, 

Mohawks,  -            -            •            -            -  300 

Oneidas,  .            -            .            -            .  150 

Tuscaroras,  .            -            .            .            .  200 

Onondagas,  ....  300 

Cayugas,  .....  230 

Senecas.  -            -            -            -            -  400 


Total,  1,580 

The  Onondagas,  one  town,  one  hundred  and  forty  houses,  and  one 
village,  twenty-four  houses.  The  Cayugas,  three  towns  of  about 
one  hundred  houses  in  all.  The  Senecas,  four  towns,  containing 
three  hundred  and  twenty-four  houses.  The  warriors  the  same  pre- 
cisely as  in  Col.  Coursey's  statement.  (Cours.  p.  21,)  In  the  whole, 
seven  hundred  and  eighty-four  houses ;  which  would  make  nearly 
three  warriors  and  ten  inhabitants  for  each  house. 


THE  iRoauois.  249 

If  to  these  we  add  two  hundred  and  twenty  warriors  who 
adhered  to  the  United  States,  the  whole  number  of  fight- 
ing men  would  be  one  thousand  eight  hundred. 

In  1783,  Mr.  Kirkland,  the  missionary,  estimated  the 
number  of  warriors  in  the  Seneca  nation,  at  six  hundred. 
This  would  make  the  whole  population  two  thousand  ;  and 
as  the  Senecas  then  composed  nearly  one  half  of  the  whole 
Confederacy,  the  fighting  men  would  be  about  one  thou- 
sand two  hundred,  and  the  total  number  of  inhabitants, 
upwards  of  four  thousand.  In  1790,  he  calculated  the 
whole  population  of  the  Confederacy,  including  those  who 
reside  on  Grand  River  in  Canada,  and  the  Stockbridge 
and  Brothertown  Indians,  to  be  six  thousand  three  hundred 
and  thirty.  This  would  make  the  number  of  warriors 
near  one  thousand  nine  hundred. 

In  1794,  on  the  division  of  an  annuity  of  four  thousand 
five  hundred  dollars,  given  to  them  by  the  United  States, 
their  number  was  ascertained  with  considerable  precision ; 
each  individual  in  the  Confederacy  (except  those  residing 
in  the  British  dominions)  receiving  an  equal  share. 


IN    THE    UN1TF.0    STATES. 

BRITISH    LINES 

Mohawks, 

. 

-      300 

Oneidas, 

-      628 

460 

Cayugas, 

40 

-    

OnondagaS; 

'      450 

760 

Tuscaroras, 

400 

Senecas,     - 

-      1780 

3298 
760 


Total,  4,058 
The  Stockbridge  and  Brothertown  Indians  are  not  includ- 


250  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

ed.     This  would  make  the  number  of  fighting  men  one 
thousand  three  hundred  and  fifty-two. 

These  various  estimates  evince  the  great  uncertainty 
prevaihng  on  this  subject.  While  La  Hontan  exaggerates 
the  population  of  the  Confederacy,  Smith  evidently  un- 
derrates it.  We  know  that  in  their  wars  they  often  sent 
out  considerable  armies.  They  attacked  the  Island  of 
Montreal  with  one  thousand  two  hundred  men ;  and  in 
1683,  one  thousand  marched,  at  one  time,  against  the  Ot- 
tagamies.  The  first  was  in  1689,  twelve  years  after  Col. 
Coursey's  estimate.  Supposing  that  one  thousand  two 
hundred  warriors  were  at  that  time  at  home,  and  other- 
wise employed,  the  whole  number  would  then  be  about 
two  thousand  four  hundred ;  which  show  a  considerable 
coincidence  between  the  two  statements.  On  one  point 
there  is,  however,  no  uncertainty.  Ever  since  the  men  of 
Europe  landed  on  the  shores  of  America,  there  has  been  a 
diminution  of  the  number  of  Aborigines  ;  sometimes  rapid, 
at  other  times  gradual.  The  present  condition  of  the  Con- 
federates furnishes  an  admonitory  lesson  to  human  pride ; 
and  adds  another  proof  to  the  many  on  record,  that  na- 
tions, like  individuals,  are  destined  by  Providence  to  dis- 
solution. Their  patrimonial  estates,  their  ancient  dwelling 
lands,  are  now  crowded  with  a  white  population,  except- 
ing some  reservations  in  the  Oneida,  Onondaga,  and  Se- 
neca countries.  The  Mohawks  abandoned  their  country 
during  the  war ;  and  the  Cayugas  have  since  the  peace. 
A  remnant  of  the  Tuscaroras  reside  on  three  miles  square, 
near  the  Niagara  River,  on  lands  given  to  them  by  the 
Senecas  and  the  Holland  Land  Company.  The  Oneida 
Reservation  does  not  contain  more  than  ten  thousand 
acres ;  and  the  Onondaga  is  still  smaller.     The  Senecas 


THE  iRoauois.  251 

have  their  principal  settlement  at  Buffalo  Creek.  Their 
reservations  are  extensive  and  valuable,  containing  more 
than  one  hundred  and  sixty  thousand  acres ;  and  they  pos- 
sess upwards  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  the  stock 
of  the  late  Bank  of  the  United  States. 

The  Six  Nations  have  lost  their  high  character  and  ele- 
vated standing.  They  are,  in  general,  addicted  to  idle- 
ness and  drunkenness ;  the  remnant  of  their  eloquence 
and  military  spirit,  as  well  as  national  strength,  is  to  be 
found  only  among  the  Senecas.  Their  ancient  men,  who 
have  witnessed  the  former  glory  and  prosperity  of  their 
country,  and  who  have  heard  from  the  mouths  of  their 
ancestors,  the  heroic  achievements  of  their  countrymen, 
weep  like  infants,  when  they  speak  of  the  fallen  condition 
of  the  nation.  They,  however,  derive  some  consolation 
from  a  prophecy  of  ancient  origin  and  universal  currency 
among  them,  that  the  man  of  America  will,  at  some  fu- 
ture time,  regain  his  ancient  ascendancy,  and  expel  the 
man  of  Europe  from  this  western  hemisphere.  This  flat- 
tering and  consolatory  persuasion  has  restrained,  in  some 
degree,  their  vicious  propensities  ;  has  enabled  the  Seneca 
and  Shawanese  prophets  to  arrest  in  some  tribes  the  use 
of  intoxicating  liquors,  and  has  given  birth,  at  different 
periods,  to  certain  movements  toward  a  general  confede- 
racy of  the  savages  of  North  America.  That  they  con- 
sider the  white  man  an  enemy  and  an  intruder,  who  has 
expelled  them  from  their  country,  is  most  certain  ;  and 
they  cherish  this  antipathy  with  so  much  rancor,  that 
when  they  abandon  their  settlements,  they  make  it  a  rule 
never  to  disclose  to  him  any  mineral  substances  or  springs 
which  may  redound  to  his  convenience  or  advantage. 

The  causes  of  their  degradation  and  diminution,  are 


252  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

principally  to  be  found  in  their  baneful  communication 
with  the  man  of  Europe,  which  has  contaminated  their 
morals,  destroyed  their  population,  robbed  them  of  their 
country,  and  deprived  them  of  their  national  spirit.  In- 
deed, when  we  consider,  that  the  discovery  and  settlement 
of  America,  have  exterminated  millions  of  the  red  men, 
and  entailed  upon  the  sable  inhabitants  of  Africa,  endless 
and  destructive  wars,  captivity,  slavery  and  death,  we 
have  reason  to  shudder  at  the  gloomy  perspective,  and  to 
apprehend  that,  in  the  retributive  justice  of  the  Almighty, 
"  there  may  be  some  hidden  thunder  in  the  stores  of  Hea- 
ven, red  with  uncommon  wrath  ;"*  some  portentous 
cloud,  pregnant  with  the  elements  of  destruction,  ready  to 
burst  upon  European  America,  and  to  entail  upon  us  those 
calamities  which  we  have  so  wantonly  and  wickedly  in- 
flicted upon  others. 

A  nation  that  derives  its  subsistence,  principally,  from 
the  forest,  cannot  live  in  the  vicinity  of  one  that  relies 
upon  the  products  of  the  field.  The  clearing  of  the  coun- 
try drives  off  the  wild  beasts ;  and  when  the  game  fails, 
the  hunter  must  starve,  change  his  occupation,  or  retire 
from  the  approach  of  cultivation.  The  Savage  has  inva- 
riably preferred  the  last.  The  Mohawks  were,  at  one  pe- 
riod, the  most  numerous  canton ;  but  they  soon  became 
the  smallest.  This  was  on  account  of  their  propinquity 
to  the  whites ;  while  the  Senecas,  who  are  most  remote, 
are  the  most  populous.  There  are  two  other  causes  which 
have  contributed  to  the  destruction  of  the  Mohawks  ;  their 
extreme  ferocity,  which  distinguished  them  from  the  other 
cantons,  and  which  exposed  them  to  greater  perils ;  and 
the  early  seduction  of  a  part  of  their  nation  by  the  French, 

*  Addison's  Cato. 


THE    IROQUOIS.  253 

who  prevailed  upon  them  to  migi'ate  to  Canada.  The 
scarcity  of  food  has  also  been  augmented  by  other  causes, 
besides  that  of  cultivating  the  ground.  Formerly  they 
killed  for  the  sake  of  subsistence :  the  Europeans  insti- 
gated them  to  kill  for  the  sake  of  the  furs  and  skins.  The 
use  of  fire-arms  has  had  the  effect,  by  the  explosion  of 
powder,  of  frightening  away  the  game  ;  and  at  the  same 
time,  of  enabling  the  savage  to  compass  their  destruction 
with  greater  facility,  than  by  his  ancient  weapon,  the  bow 
and  arrow,  whose  execution  was  less  certain,  and  whose 
operation  was  less  terrific. 

The  old  Scythian  propensity  for  wandering  from  place 
to  place,  and  to  make  distant  excursions,  predominates 
among  them.  Some,  after  an  absence  of  twenty  years, 
have  again  shown  themselves,  while  others  never  return. 

Many  of  the  Iroquois  are  amalgamated  with  the  western 
Indians.  In  1799,  a  colony  of  the  Confederates,  who  had 
been  brought  up  from  their  infancy  under  the  Roman 
Catholic  Missionaries,  and  instructed  by  them  at  a  village 
within  nine  miles  of  Montreal,  emigrated  to  the  banks  of 
the  Saskatchiwine  River,  beyond  Lake  Winnipeg.* 

The  endless  and  destructive  wars  in  which  they  have 
been  involved,  have  also  been  a  principal  cause  of  dimin- 
ishing their  population.  The  number  of  births  among 
savage  is  always  inferior  to  that  among  civilized  nations, 
where  subsistence  is  easier,  and  where  the  female  sex  are 
considered  the  companions,  the  friends,  and  the  equals  of 
man  ;  and  are  associated  and  connected  with  him  by  the 
silken  ties  of  choice  and  affection,  not  by  the  iron  chains 
of  compulsion  and  slavery.  In  times  of  war,  the  number 
of  deaths  among  the  Indians  generally  exceeded  that  of 
*  Mackenzie,  vol.  1,  p.  298. 


254  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

the  births ;  and  the  Iroquois,  for  the  last  fifty  years,  not 
having  been  able  to  execute  to  any  great  extent  their  sys- 
tem of  adoption,  have  experienced  a  correspondent  dimi- 
nution. The  manner  of  savage  warfare  is  also  peculiarly 
destructive.  Among  civilized  nations,  great  armies  are 
brought  into  the  field  at  once ;  and  a  few  years,  and  a 
great  battle,  decide  the  fortune  of  the  war,  and  produce  a 
peace.  Among  Indians,  wars  are  carried  on  by  small  de- 
tachments, and  in  detail,  and  for  a  long  time.  Among  the 
former  they  operate  like  amputation;  a  limb  is  cut  off, 
and  the  remainder  of  the  body  lives ;  but  with  savages, 
they  resemble  a  slow  and  wasting  disease,  which  gradually 
undermines  the  vital  principle,  and  destroys  the  whole 
system. 

Before  their  acquaintance  with  the  man  of  Europe  they 
were  visited  by  dreadful  diseases,  which  depopulated 
whole  countries.  Just  before  the  settlement  of  New 
England,  some  whole  nations  were  swept  off  by  a  pesti- 
lence. The  whites  introduced  that  terrible  enemy  of  bar- 
barous nations,  the  small  pox,  as  well  in  the  north  of  Asia 
as  in  America.  Kamschatka  was  very  populous  until  the 
arrival  of  the  Russians ;  a  dreadful  visitation  of  the  small 
pox,  in  1767,  nearly  exterminated  its  inhabitants.*  In 
1779,  and  1780,  the  small  pox  spread  among  the  Killisti- 
noes,  or  Kanistenaux,  and  Chepewyans,  "  with  a  baneful 
rapidity  that  no  flight  could  escape,  and  with  a  fatal  effect 
that  nothing  could  resist."!  Nine-tenths  of  the  northern 
Indians,  so  called  by  Hearne,  were  cut  off  by  it. J     In 

*  Pennant,  vol.  1,  p.  215. 

t  Mackenzie,  vol.  1,  p.  17. 

X  Hearne's  Journey  to  the  Northern  Ocean,  p.  178. 


THE  iftoauois.  255 

1670,  this  disease  depopulated  the  north  of  Canada.*  A 
whole  nation,  called  the  Attetramasues,  were  destroyed. 
The  vicinity  of  the  Confederates  to  the  European  settle- 
ments, and  their  constant  intercourse,  have  exposed  them 
continually  to  its  visitations  ;  and  their  method  of  cure 
being  the  same  in  all  diseases,  immersion  in  cold  water 
after  a  vapor  bath,  has  aggravated  its  ravages.  Their 
imitation  of  the  European  dress,  has  also  substituted  a 
lighter  mode  of  clothing  in  lieu  of  warm  furs ;  by  which, 
and  their  exposure  to  the  elements,  they  are  peculiarly  sub- 
jected to  consumptions  and  inflammatory  complaints. 
Longevity  is,  however,  by  no  means  uncommon  among 
them.  In  their  settlements  you  see  some  very  old  people. 
Need  I  add  to  this  melancholy  catalogue,  the  use  of 
spirituous  liquors,  which  has  realized  among  them  the 
fabulous  effects  of  the  Bohon  Upas,  which  has  been  to 
them  "  the  Hydra  of  calamities  ;  the  sevenfold  death,"t 
and  which  has  palsied  all  their  energies,  enfeebled  their 
minds,  destroyed  their  bodies,  rendered  them  inferior  to 
the  beasts  of  the  forest,  and  operated  upon  them  as  de- 
structively as 

" famine,  war,  or  spotted  pestilence, 

Baneful  as  death,  and  horrible  as  hell."| 

At  the  treaty  held  in  Lancaster  in  1744,  the  Five  Na- 
tions addressed  the  colonies  of  Pennsylvania,  Virginia, 
and  Maryland,  as  follows  :  "  We  heartily  recommend 
union  and  a  good  agreement  between  you  our  brethren. 
Never  disagree,  but  preserve  a  strict  friendship  for  one 
another  ;  and  thereby  you,  as  well  as  we,  will  become  the 
stronger.      Our  wise   forefathers   established   amity  and 

*  Jeffrey,  before  quoted,  p.  110.     Herriot,  p.  132. 

t  Young's  Revenge,  J  Rowe's  Jane  Shore, 


256  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

friendship  among  the  Five  Nations.  This  has  made  us 
formidable,  and  has  given  us  great  weight  and  authority 
with  the  neighboring  nations.  We  are  a  powerful  Con- 
federacy ;  and  by  your  observing  the  same  means  which 
our  wise  forefathers  pursued,  you  will  acquire  fresh 
strength  and  power.  Therefore,  whatever  befalls  you, 
never  fall  out  with  one  another."*  This  ancient  and  ce- 
menting principle  of  union  and  fraternity,  which  has  con- 
nected them  in  friendship,  and  which  was  the  basis  of  their 
power  and  the  pillar  of  their  greatness,  has  been  entirely 
driven  from  them.  The  fury  of  discord  has  blown  her 
horn,  and  rendered  them  the  prey  of  the  most  ferocious 
and  unrelenting  passions.  Party,  in  all  its  forms  and  vio- 
lence, rages  among  them  with  uncontrolled  sway.  Their 
nations  are  split  up  into  fragments ;  the  son  is  arrayed 
against  the  father  ;  brother  against  brother  ;  families 
against  families  ;  tribes  against  tribes ;  and  canton  against 
canton.  They  are  divided  into  factions,  religious,  politi- 
cal and  personal ;  Christian  and  Pagan ;  American  and 
British  ;  the  followers  of  Cornplanter  and  Sagoua-Ha  ;  of 
Skonadoi  and  Capt.  Peter.  The  minister  of  destruction 
is  hovering  over  them,  and  before  the  passing  away  of  the 
present  generation,  not  a  single  Iroquois  will  be  seen  in 
this  State. 

It  would  be  an  unpardonable  omission  not  to  mention, 
while  treating  on  this  subject,  that  there  is  every  reason 
to  believe,  that  previous  to  the  occupancy  of  this  country 
by  the  progenitors  of  the  present  nations  of  Indians,  it  was 
inhabited  by  a  race  of  men  much  more  populous  and  much 
further  advanced  in  ^civilization.  The  numerous  remains 
of  ancient  fortifications  which  are  found  in  this  country, 
*  Colden,  vol.  2,  p.  113. 


THE  iRoauois.  8W 

commencing  principally  near  the  Onondaga  River,  and 
from  thence  spreading  over  the  Military  Tract,  the  Gene- 
see country,  and  the  lands  of  the  Holland  Land  Company, 
over  the  territory  adjoining  the  Ohio  and  its  tributary 
streams,  the  country  on  Lake  Erie,  and  extending  even 
west  of  the  Mississippi,  demonstrate  a  population  far  ex- 
ceeding that  of  the  Indians  when  this  country  was  first 
settled. 

I  have  seen  several  of  these  works  in  the  western  parts 
of  this  State.  There  is  a  large  one  in  the  town  of  Onon- 
daga, one  in  Pompey,  and  another  in  Manlius  ;  one  in 
Camillus,  eight  miles  from  Auburn ;  one  in  Scipio,  six 
miles ;  another  one  mile,  and  one,  half  a  mile  from  that 
village.  Between  the  Seneca  and  Cayuga  Lakes  there 
are  several ;  three  within  a  few  miles  of  each  other. 
Near  the  village  of  Canadaigua  there  are  three.  In  a 
word,  they  are  scattered  all  over  that  country.* 

*  On  the  subject  of  these  ancient  fortifications,  see  Charlevoix,  vol. 
1.  b.  11,  p.  533.  Charlevoix  letter  23,  vol.  3,  p.  333.  American  Mu- 
seum, vol.  6,  p.  29,  233.  Massachusetts  Historical  Collections,  vol. 
4,  p.  101,  107.  Imlay's  Kentucky,  p.  379.  Herriot's  Canada,  p.  14 
to  26.  Belknap's  American  Biography,  vol.  1,  p.  194-196.  History 
of  Virginia,  anonymous,  published  in  London,  1722,  p.  149.  Carver's 
Travels,  p.  37.  Volney's  United  States,  p.  486.  Barton's  Medical 
and  Physical  Journal,  vol.  1.  part  1,  p.  97.  Ibid,  part  2.  p.  80.  Ibid, 
vol.  2.  part  1,  p.  187.  Adair's  Indians,  p.  377.  New  York  Maga- 
zine, January,  1793,  p.  23.  Michaux's  Travels  to  the  Westward  of 
the  Alleghany  Mountains  in  1802,  vol.  1.  Columbian  Magazine  for 
1787,  vol.  1,  No.  9.  Shultz's  Inland  Voyage,  vol.  1,  p.  146.  Ame- 
rican Philosophical  Transactions,  vol.  6,  p.  132.  Medical  Reposi- 
tory, 3d  Hexade,  vol.  2,  No.  2,  p.  146.  Rogers's  Concise  Account  of 
North  America,  p.  247.  Harris's  Tour  in  1803,  into  the  State  of 
Ohio,  p.  149,  &c.  Hubbard's  Narrative  of  the  Indian  Wars  in  New^ 
England,  p.  32,  106.     Williamson  on  the  Climate,  &c.  of  America, 

p.  189. 

17 


258  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

These  forts  were,  generally  speaking,  erected  on  the 
most  commanding  ground.  The  walls  or  breastworks 
were  earthen.  The  ditches  were  on  the  exterior  of  the 
works.  On  some  of  the  parapets,  oak  trees  were  to  be 
seen,  which,  from  the  number  of  concentric  circles,  must 
have  been  standing  one  hundred  and  fifty,  two  hundred 
and  sixty,  and  three  hundred  years  ;  and  there  were  evi- 
dent indications,  not  only  that  they  had  sprung  up  since 
the  erection  of  those  works,  but  that  they  were  at  least  a 
second  growth.  The  trenches  were  in  some  cases  deep 
and  wide,  and  in  others  shallow  and  narrow ;  and  the 
breastworks  varied  in  altitude  from  three  to  eight  feet. 
They  sometimes  had  one,  and  sometimes  two  entrances, 
as  was  to  be  inferred  from  there  being  no  ditch  at  those 
places.  When  the  works  were  protected  by  a  deep 
ravine,  or  a  large  stream  of  water,  no  ditch  was  to  be 
seen.  The  areas  of  these  forts  varied  from  two  to  six 
acres,  and  the  form  was  generally  an  irregular  ellipsis, 
and  in  some  of  them  fragments  of  earthenware  and  pul- 
verized substances,  supposed  to  have  been  originally  hu- 
man bones,  were  to  be  found. 

These  fortifications,  thus  diffused  over  the  interior  of 
our  country,  have  been  generally  considered  as  surpassing 
the  skill,  patience  and  industry  of  the  Indian  race  ;  and 
various  hypotheses  have  been  advanced  to  prove  them  of 
European  origin. 

An  American  writer  of  no  inconsiderable  repute  pro- 
nounced, some  years  ago,  that  the  two  forts  at  the  conflu- 
ence of  the  Muskingum  and  Ohio  rivers,  one  covering 
forty  and  the  other  twenty  acres,  were  erected  by  Ferdi- 
nand de  Soto,  who  landed  with  one  thousand  men  in  Flo- 
rida, in  1539,  and  penetrated  a  considerable  distance  into 


THE  iRoauois,  259 

the  interior  of  the  country.  He  allotted  the  large  fort  for 
the  use  of  the  Spanish  army ;  and  after  being  extremely 
puzzled  how  to  dispose  of  the  small  one  in  its  vicinity,  he 
at  last  assigned  it  to  the  swine,  that  generally,  as  he  says, 
attended  the  Spaniards  in  those  days  ;  being  in  his  opinion 
very  necessary,  in  order  to  prevent  them  from  becoming 
estrays,  and  to  protect  them  from  the  depredations  of  the 
Indians. 

When  tv^o  ancient  forts,  one  containing  six  and  the 
other  three  acres,  were  found  near  Lexington,  in  Ken- 
tucky, another  theory  was  propounded,  and  it  was  sup- 
posed that  they  were  erected  by  the  descendants  of  the 
Welch  colony,  who  are  said  to  have  migrated  under  the 
auspices  of  Madoc  to  this  country,  in  the  twelfth  century  ; 
that  they  formerly  inhabited  Kentucky  ;  but  being  attack- 
ed by  the  Indians,  were  forced  to  take  refuge  near  the 
sources  of  the  Missouri. 

Another  suggestion  has  been  made,  that  the  French,  in 
their  expeditions  from  Canada  to  the  Mississippi,  were  the 
authors  of  these  works  :  but  the  most  numerous  are  to  be 
found  in  the  territory  of  the  Senecas,  whose  hostility  to 
the  French  was  such,  that  they  were  not  allowed  for  a 
long  time  to  have  any  footing  among  them.*  The  fort  at 
Niagara  was  obtained  from  them,  by  the  intrigues  and 
eloquence  of  Joncaire,  an  adopted  child  of  the  nation. f 

Louis  Dennie,  a  Frenchman,  aged  upward  of  seventy, 
and  who  has  been  settled  and  married  among  the  Confe- 
derates for  more  than  half  a  century,  told  me,  that  accord- 
ing to  the  traditions  of  the  ancient  Indians,  these  forts 
were  erected  by  an  army  of  Spaniards,  who  were  the  first 

•  Golden,  vol.  1.  p.  61. 

t  Charlevoix,  vol.  3.  letter  15.  p.  227. 


260  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

Europeans  ever  seen  by  them ;  the  French  the  next ;  then 
the  Dutch,  and  finally  the  English  :  that  his  army  first  ap- 
peared at  Oswego  in  great  force,  and  penetrated  through 
the  interior  of  the  country,  searching  for  the  precious 
metals ;  that  they  continued  there  two  years,  and  went 
down  the  Ohio. 

Some  of  the  Senecas  told  Mr.  Kirkland,  the  missionary, 
that  those  in  their  territory  were  raised  by  their  ancestors 
in  their  wars  with  the  western  Indians,  three,  four  or  five 
hundred  years  ago.  All  the  cantons  have  traditions  that 
their  ancestors  came  originally  from  the  west,  and  the 
Senecas  say  that  their's  first  settled  in  the  country  of  the 
Creeks.  The  early  histories  mention,  that  the  Iroquois 
first  inhabited  on  the  north  side  of  the  great  lakes ;  that 
they  were  driven  to  their  present  territory  in  a  war  with 
the  Algonkins  or  Adirondacks,  from  whence  they  expelled 
the  Satanas.  If  these  accounts  are  correct,  the  ancestors 
of  the  Senecas  did  not,  in  all  probability,  occupy  their 
present  territory  at  the  time  they  allege. 

I  believe  we  may  confidently  pronounce,  that  all  the 
hypotheses  which  attribute  those  works  to  Europeans,  are 
incorrect  and  fanciful :  First,  on  account  of  the  present 
number  of  the  works.  Second,  on  account  of  their  anti- 
quity ;  having,  from  every  appearance  been  erected  a  long 
time  before  the  discovery  of  America;  and  finally,  their 
form  and  manner  are  totally  variant  from  European  forti- 
fications, either  in  action  or  modern  times. 

It  is  equally  clear  that  they  were  not  the  work  of  the 
Indians.  Until  the  Senecas,  who  are  renowned  for  their 
national  vanity,  had  seen  the  attention  of  the  Americans 
attracted  to  these  erections,  and  had  invented  the  fabulous 
account  of  which  I  have  spoken,  the  Indians  of  the  present 


THE  iRoauois.  261 

day  did  not  pretend  to  know  anything  about  their  origin. 
They  were  beyond  the  reach  of  all  their  traditions,  and 
were  lost  in  the  abyss  of  unexplored  antiquity. 

The  erection  of  such  prodigious  works  must  have  been 
the  result  of  labor  far  beyond  the  patience  and  perse- 
verence  of  our  Indians ;  and  the  form  and  materials  are 
entirely  different  from  those  which  they  are  known  to 
make.  These  earthen  walls,  it  is  supposed,  will  retain 
their  original  form  much  longer  than  those  constructed 
with  brick  and  stone.  They  have,  undoubtedly,  been 
greatly  diminished  by  the  washing  away  of  the  earth,  the 
filling  up  of  the  interior,  and  the  accumulation  of  fresh 
soil ;  yet  their  firmness  and  solidity  indicate  them  to  be 
the  work  of  some  remote  age.  Add  to  this,  that  the  In- 
dians have  never  practised  the  mode  of  fortifying  by  in- 
trenchments.  Their  villages  or  castles  were  protected 
by  palisades ;  which  afforded  a  sufficient  defence  against 
Indian  weapons.  When  Cartier  went  to  Hochelaga,  now 
Montreal,  in  1535,  he  discovered  a  town  of  the  Iroquois, 
or  Hurons,  containing  about  fifty  huts.  It  was  encom- 
passed with  three  lines  of  palisadoes,  through  which  was 
one  entrance,  well  secured  with  stakes  and  bars.  On  the 
inside  was  a  rampart  of  timber,  to  which  were  ascents  by 
ladders  ;  and  heaps  of  stones  were  laid  in  proper  places  to 
cast  at  an  enemy.  Charlevoix  and  other  writers  agree,  in 
representing  the  Indian  fortresses  as  fabricated  with  wood. 
Such  also  were  the  forts  of  Sasacus,  the  great  chief  of  the 
Pequots ;  and  the  principal  fortress  of  the  Narragansets 
was  on  an  island  in  a  swamp,  of  five  or  six  acres  of  rising 
land  :  the  sides  were  made  with  pahsades  set  upright,  en- 
compassed with  a  hedge,  of  a  rod  in  thickness.* 
*  Mathers  Magnalia,  p.  693. 


262  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

I  have  already  alluded  to  the  argument  for  the  great  an- 
tiquity of  those  ancient  forts,  to  be  derived  from  the  num- 
ber of  concentric  circles.  On  the  ramparts  of  one  of  the 
Muskingum  forts,  four  hundred  and  sixty-three  were  ascer- 
tained on  a  tree,  decayed  at  the  center ;  and  there  are 
likewise  the  strongest  marks  of  a  former  growth  of  a  simi- 
lar size.  This  would  make  those  works  near  a  thousand 
years  old. 

But  there  is  another  consideration  which  has  never  be- 
fore been  urged,  and  which  appears  to  me  to  be  not  un- 
worthy of  attention.  It  is  certainly  novel,  and  I  believe  it 
to  be  founded  on  a  basis  which  cannot  easily  be  subverted. 

From  near  the  Genesee  River  to  Lewiston,  on  the 
Niagara  River,  there  is  a  remarkable  ridge  or  elevation  of 
land,  running  almost  the  whole  distance,  which  is  seventy- 
eight  miles,  and  in  a  direction  from  east  to  west.  Its 
general  altitude  above  the  neighboring  land  is  thirty  feet, 
and  its  width  varies  considerably  :  in  some  places  it  is  not 
more  than  forty  yards.  Its  elevation  above  the  level  of 
Lake  Ontario  is  perhaps  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet,  to 
which  it  descends  by  a  gradual  slope  ;  and  its  distance 
from  that  water  is  between  six  and  ten  miles.  This  re- 
markable strip  of  land  would  appear  as  if  intended  by 
nature  for  the  purpose  of  an  easy  communication.  It  is,  in 
fact,  a  stupendous  natural  turnpike,  descending  gently  on 
each  side,  and  covered  with  gravel ;  and  but  little  labor  is 
requisite  to  make  it  the  best  road  in  the  United  States. 
When  the  forests  between  it  and  the  lake  are  cleared,  the 
prospects  and  scenery  which  will  be  afforded  from  a  tour 
on  this  route  to  the  cataract  of  Niagara,  will  surpass  all 
Competition  for  sublimity  and  beauty,  variety  and  number. 

There  is  every  reason  to  believe,  that  this  remarkable 


THE  IROQUOIS.  263 

ridge  was  the  ancient  boundary  of  this  great  lake.  The 
gravel  with  which  it  is  covered  was  deposited  there  by  the 
waters  ;  and  the  stones  every  where  indicate,  by  their 
shape,  the  abrasion  and  agitation  produced  by  that  ele- 
ment. All  along  the  borders  of  the  western  rivers  and 
lakes,  there  are  small  mounds  or  heaps  of  gravel,  of  a  con- 
ical form,  erected  by  the  fish  for  the  protection  of  their 
spawn  :  these  fish-banks  are  found  in  a  state  that  cannot 
be  mistaken,  at  the  foot  of  the  ridge,  on  the  side  toward 
the  lake  ;  on  the  opposite  side  none  have  been  discovered. 
All  rivers  and  streams  which  enter  the  lake  from  the  south, 
have  their  mouths  affected  with  sand  in  a  peculiar  way, 
from  the  prevalence  and  power  of  the  north-westerly 
winds.  The  points  of  the  creeks  which  pass  through  this 
ridge,  correspond  exactly  in  appearance  with  the  entrance 
of  the  streams  into  the  lakes.  These  facts  evince,  beyond 
doubt,  that  Lake  Ontario  has,  perhaps  one  or  two  thousand 
years  ago,  receded  from  this  elevated  ground.  And  the 
cause  of  this  retreat  must  be  ascribed  to  its  having  en- 
larged its  former  outlet,  or  to  its  imprisoned  waters  (aided, 
probably,  by  an  earthquake,)  forcing  a  passage  down  the 
present  bed  of  the  St.  Lawrence ;  as  the  Hudson  did  at 
the  Highlands,  and  the  Mohawk  at  the  Little  Falls.  On 
the  south  side  of  this  great  ridge,  its  vicinity,  and  in  all 
directions  through  this  country,  the  remains  of  numerous 
forts  are  to  be  seen  ;  but  on  the  north  side,  that  is,  on  the 
side  toward  the  lake,  not  a  single  one  has  been  discovered, 
although  the  whole  ground  has  been  carefully  explored. 
Considering  the  distance  to  be,  say  seventy  miles  in  length, 
and  eight  in  breadth,  and  that  the  border  of  the  lake  is  the 
very  place  that  would  be  selected  for  habitation,  and  con- 
sequently for  works  of  defence,  on  account  of  the  facilities 


264  1>E    WITT    CLINTON. 

it  would  afford  for  subsistence,  for  safety,  for  all  domestic 
accommodations  and  military  purposes  ;  and  that  on  the 
south  shores  of  Lake  Erie  these  ancient  fortresses  exist  in 
great  number ;  there  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  these  works 
were  erected,  when  this  ridge  was  the  southern  boundary 
of  Lake  Ontario,  and,  consequently,  that  their  origin  must 
be  sought  in  a  very  remote  age. 

A  great  part  of  North  America  was  then  inhabited  by 
populous  nations,  who  had  made  considerable  advance  in 
civilization.  These  numerous  works  could  never  have 
been  supplied  with  provisions  without  the  aid  of  agricul- 
ture. Nor  could  they  have  been  constructed  without  the 
use  of  iron  or  copper  ;  and  without  a  perseverance,  labor, 
and  design,  which  demonstrate  considerable  progress  in 
the  arts  of  civilized  life.  A  learned  writer  has  said,  "  I 
perceive  no  reason  why  the  Asiatic  North  might  not  be 
an  officina  virorum,  as  well  as  the  European.  The  over- 
teeming  country  to  the  east  of  the  Riphaean  mountains, 
must  find  it  necessary  to  discharge  its  inhabitants.  The 
first  great  wave  of  people  was  forced  forward  by  the  next 
to  it,  more  tumid  and  more  powerful  than  itself:  succes- 
sive and  new  impulses  continually  arriving,  short  rest  was 
given  to  that  which  spread  over  a  more  eastern  tract ; 
disturbed  again  and  again,  it  covered  fresh  regions.  At 
length,  reaching  the  farthest  limits  of  the  old  world,  it 
found  a  new  one,  with  ample  space  to  occupy,  unmolested, 
for  ages."*  After  the  north  of  Asia  had  thus  exhausted 
its  exuberant  population  by  such  a  great  migration,  it 
would  require  a  very  long  period  of  time  to  produce  a  co- 
operation of  causes,  sufficient  to  effect  another.  The 
first  mighty  stream  of  people  that  flowed  into  America, 
*  Pennant's  Arctic  Zoology,  vol.  1.,  p.  260. 


THE    IROQUOIS.  265 

must  have  remained  free  from  external  pressure  for  ages. 
Availing  themselves  of  this  period  of  tranquility,  they  would 
devote  themselves  to  the  arts  of  peace,  make  rapid  pro- 
gress in  civilization,  and  acquire  an  immense  popula- 
tion. In  course  of  time,  discord  and  war  would  rage 
among  them,  and  compel  the  establishment  of  places  of 
security.  At  last,  they  became  alarmed  by  the  irruption 
of  a  horde  of  barbarians,  who  rushed  like  an  overwhelming 
flood  from  the  North  of  Asia. 

A  multitude,  like  which  the  populous  North 
Poured  from  her  frozen  loins,  to  pass 
Rhene  or  the  Danaw,  when  her  barbarous  sons 
Came  like  a  deluge  on  the  South,  and  spread 
Beneath  Gibraltar  to  the  Lybian  sands.* 

The  great  law  of  self-preservation  compelled  them  to 
stand  on  their  defence,  to  resist  these  ruthless  invaders, 
and  to  construct  numerous  and  extensive  works  for  pro- 
tection. And  for  a  long  series  of  years  the  scale  of  victory 
was  suspended  in  doubt,  and  they  firmly  withstood  the 
torrent :  but  like  the  Romans,  in  the  decline  of  their  em- 
pire, they  were  finally  worn  down  and  destroyed  by 
successive  inroads  and  renewed  attacks.  And  the  fortifi- 
cations of  which  we  have  treated  are  the  only  remaining 
monuments  of  these  ancient  and  exterminated  nations. 
This  is,  perhaps,  the  airy  nothing  of  imagination,  and  may 
be  reckoned  the  extravagant  dream  of  a  visionary  mind : 
but  may  we  not,  considering  the  wonderful  events  of  the 
past  and  present  times,  and  the  inscrutable  dispensations 
of  an  over-ruling  Providence,  may  we  not  look  forward 
into  futurity,  and  without  departing  from  the  rigid  laws  of 

*  Milton's  Paradise  Lost,  book  1,  p.  62. 


266  DE    WITT    CLINTON, 

probability,  predict  the  occurrence  of  similar  scenes,  at 
some  remote  period  of  time.  And,  perhaps,  in  the  de- 
crepitude of  our  empire,  some  transcendent  genius,  whose 
powers  of  mind  shall  only  be  bounded  by  that  impenetra- 
ble circle  which  prescribes  the  limits  of  human  nature,* 
may  rally  the  barbarous  nations  of  Asia  under  the  stand- 
ard of  a  mighty  empire.  Following  the  track  of  the 
Russian  colonies  and  commerce  toward  the  north-west 
coast,  and  availing  himself  of  the  navigation,  arms,  and 
military  skill  of  civilized  nations,  he  may,  after  subverting 
the  neighboring  despotisms  of  the  old  world,  bend  his 
course  toward  European  America.  The  destinies  of  our 
country  may  then  be  decided  on  the  waters  of  the  Mis- 
souri, or  on  the  banks  of  Lake  Superior.  And  if  Asia 
shall  then  revenge  upon  our  posterity  the  injuries  we 
have  inflicted  on  her  sons,  a  new,  a  long,  and  a  gloomy 
night  of  gothic  darkness  will  set  in  upon  mankind.  And 
when,  after  the  efflux  of  ages,  the  returning  effulgence  of 
intellectual  light  shall  again  gladden  the  nations,  then  the 
wide-spread  ruins  of  our  cloud-capp'd  towers,  of  our 
solemn  temples,  and  of  our  magnificent  cities,  will,  hke 
the  works  of  which  we  have  treated,  become  the  subject 
of  curious  research  and  elaborate  investigation. 

*  Roscoe's  Lorenzo  De  Medicis,  p.  241. 


Mi5i3k0i|ip{  (l^ne0tion. 


The  extraordinary  manner  in  which  the  subject  now 
under  consideration  has  been  introduced,  the  extraordi- 
nary manner  in  which  it  has  been  treated,  and  the  extra- 
ordinary nature  of  the  proposition  itself,  would  justify  a 
latitude  and  severity  of  remark,  which,  however,  I  am  not 
disposed  to  indulge  upon  this  occasion.  I  know  that  1 
address  myself  to  a  very  respectable  portion  of  the  col- 
lected wisdom  and  patriotism  of  my  country.  I  will 
therefore  leave  the  honorable  members  from  Pennsylvania 
and  Delaware,  (Mr.  Ress  and  Mr.  White,)  in  the  undis- 
turbed possession  of  their  inflammatory  appeals  and  de- 
clamatory effusions,  and  will  manifest  a  becoming  respect 
for  the  high  authority  to  which  I  have  the  honor  to  speak, 
by  moving  on  the  ground  of  argument  and  of  fact.  To 
prevent  losing  myself  in  so  spacious  a  field  I  will  con- 
sider the  subject  under  three  distinct  heads  : 

1.  The  injuries  alleged  to  have  been  committed  on  the 
part  of  Spain. 

2.  The  nature,  character,  and  tendency  of  the  remedy 
proposed. 

3.  Its  justice  and  policy. 

The  importance  of  a  free  navigation  of  the  Mississippi 
has  been  duly  appreciated  by  the  Government,  and  a  con- 
stant eye  has  been  kept  upon  it,  in  our  negotiations  with 


268  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

foreign  powers.  An  attempt  was  indeed  made  under  the 
old  confederation  to  barter  it  away  for  twenty-five  years ; 
which,  however,  was  efficiently  controlled  by  the  good 
sense  and  patriotism  of  the  Government.     By  the  treaty 

of  peace  with  Great  Britain  in  1783 by  the  treaty  of 

amity,  commerce,  and  navigation,  with  her,  in  1794.. ..and 
by  the  treaty  of  friendship,  limits,  and  navigation  with 
Spain,  in  1795,  the  right  of  a  free  navigation  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi is  recognized,  and  declared  to  exist,  from  its  source 
to  the  ocean,  in  the  citizens  of  the  United  States.  By  the 
22d  article  of  the  treaty  with  Spain,  it  is  declared.  That 
"  in  consequence  of  the  stipulations  contained  in  the  4th 
article,  his  Catholic  majesty  will  permit  the  citizens  of  the 
United  States,  for  the  space  of  three  years  from  this  time, 
to  deposit  their  merchandize  and  effects  in  the  port  of 
New  Orleans,  and  to  export  them  from  thence  without 
paying  any  other  duty  than  a  fair  price  for  the  hire  of  the 
stores.  And  his  majesty  promises  either  to  continue  this 
permission,  if  he  finds  during  that  time  that  it  is  not  preju- 
dicial to  the  interests  of  Spain ;  or  if  he  should  not  agree 
to  continue  it  there,  he  will  assign  to  them,  on  another 
part  of  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  an  equivalent  esta- 
bhshment."  The  22d  article  granting  the  right  of  deposit, 
is,  therefore,  founded  upon  the  4th  article  recognizing  the 
right  of  free  navigation,  and  is  intended  to  give  full  and 
complete  efficacy  to  it.  By  a  proclamation  of  the  Inten- 
dant  of  the  province  of  Louisiana,  dated  the  16th  of  Oct. 
last,  the  right  of  deposit  is  prohibited.  The  reason  assign- 
ed for  this  daring  interdiction  is,  that  the  three  years  for 
which  it  was  granted  having  expired,  it  cannot  be  con- 
tinued without  an  express  order  from  the  king  of  Spain. 


MISSISSIPPI    aUESTION.  269 

And  at  the  same  time  no  equivalent  establishment  is  as- 
signed, according  to  the  stipulations  of  the  treaty. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  the  suspension  of  the 
right  of  deposit  at  New  Orleans,  and  the  assignment  of 
another  place  equally  convenient,  ought  to  have  been  con- 
temporaneous and  concurrent ;  that  the  conduct  of  the 
Intendant  is  an  atrocious  infraction  of  the  treaty,  and  that 
it  aims  a  deadly  blow  at  the  prosperity  of  the  western 
States ;  but  it  is  extremely  questionable  whether  it  was 
authorized  by  the  Government  of  Spain  or  not.  On  this 
subject  I  am  free  to  declare  that  I  entertain  great  doubts, 
which  can  only  be  cleared  up  by  the  course  of  events,  or 
perhaps  it  will  ever  be  enveloped  in  darkness.  On  the 
one  hand,  the  terms  of  the  proclamation,  indicating  a  mis- 
understanding of  the  treaty,  the  remonstrances  of  the  Go- 
vernor of  the  province,  whose  authority  does  not  extend 
to  commercial  and  fiscal  affairs,  over  which  the  Intendant 
has  an  exclusive  control,  and  the  prompt  and  decided  as- 
surances of  the  Spanish  Minister  near  the  United  States, 
would  induce  a  belief,  that  the  act  of  the  Intendant  was 
unauthorized.  On  the  other  hand,  it  cannot  readily  be 
believed  that  this  officer  would  assume  such  an  immense 
responsibility,  and  encounter  an  event  so  big  with  impor- 
tant consequences,  not  only  to  his  country  but  to  himself, 
without  knowing  explicitly  the  intentions  of  his  Govern- 
ment. Such,  then,  is  the  true  state  of  the  Spanish  aggres- 
sion :  an  important  right  had  been  secured  to  our  citizens 
by  the  solemnity  of  a  treaty ;  this  right  had  been  with- 
drawn by  an  officer  of  the  Spanish  Government;  and  whe- 
ther this  aggression  was  directed  by  it  or  not,  is  not  as  yet 
known.  Other  aggressions  have  indeed  been  stated  by 
the  honorable  gentleman  from  Pennsylvania  (Mr.  Rosa), 


270  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

in  order  to  darken  the  picture,  and  with  the  manifest  de- 
sign of  exasperating  our  feelings,  inflaming  our  passions, 
and  prompting  an  immediate  appeal  to  the  sword.  That 
gentleman  had  mentioned  that  great  and  unwarrantable 
spoliations  have  been  committed  upon  our  commerce  by 
Spain,  and  that  redress  is  refused.  The  depredations  pre- 
vious to  the  treaty  of  1795  were  satisfactorily  provided  for 
in  it,  and  those  subsequent  are  in  a  favorable  train  of  ne- 
gotiation and  adjustment.  If  it  were  permitted  to  me  to 
draw  aside  the  veil  which  covers  our  executive  proceed- 
ings, I  could  establish,  to  the  satisfaction  of  every  person 
present,  that  the  honorable  mover  has  wandered  widely 
from  candor  and  the  convictions  of  his  own  knowledge, 
in  his  representations  on  this  subject.  I  will  at  present 
content  myself  with  giving  an  unqualified  contradiction 
to  his  declarations,  and  do  cheerfully  appeal  to  the  infor- 
mation within  the  power  of  every  member  of  the  Senate, 
for  the  accuracy  of  my  assertion.  I  am  fully  satisfied  that 
the  court  of  Madrid  has  not  only  entertained,  but  has 
manifested  in  her  negotiations,  every  disposition  to  main- 
tain inviolate  the  relations  of  amity  with  this  country. 
When,  therefore,  the  honorable  mover  proceeded  to  state 
that  several  of  our  citizens  had  been  seized  and  imprisoned 
by  the  colonial  authorities  of  Spain,  I  might  ask,  whether 
any  Government  in  the  world  pretended  to  protect  her 
citizens  in  the  violation  of  the  laws  of  other  nations  ? 
Whether  our  citizens  in  the  situation  he  has  represented, 
had  not  been  concerned  in  illicit  trade,  and  in  violating 
the  laws  of  the  Spanish  colonies  ?  Instances  may  have 
indeed  occurred  where  innocent  persons  have  been  un- 
justly dealt  with;  and  whenever  representations  to  this  ef- 
fect shall  be  made  to  our  Government,  I  have  no  doubt 


MISSISSIPPI    QUESTION.  271 

but  that  ample  redress  will  be  instantly  demanded  and  in- 
sisted upon.  Nothing  has  been  laid  before  us  which  can 
authorize  the  assertions  made  on  this  subject.  Whenever 
such  conduct  shall  be  brought  home  to  Spain,  and  prompt 
and  complete  satisfaction  denied,  I  shall  then  consider  it 
the  duty  of  the  Government  to  vindicate  the  rights  of  our 
citizens  at  all  hazards ;  and  I  cannot  but  congratulate  the 
honorable  mover,  and  the  other  side  of  the  house,  on  the 
resurrection  of  that  ardent  zeal  in  favor  of  their  oppressed 
countrymen  which  has  so  long  and  so  soundly  slept  over 
British  and  French  enormities. 

As  to  the  nature,  character,  and  tendency  of  the  reme- 
dy proposed,  there  can  be  but  one  opinion.  It  proposes  to 
enter  the  country  of  a  foreign  nation  with  a  hostile  force, 
and  to  a  seize  a  part  of  its  territory.  It  is  not  preceded 
by  a  formal  declaration,  and  cannot,  therefore,  come  under 
the  denomination  of  a  solemn  war ;  but  it  partakes  of  the 
character  of  a  war  not  solemn.  It  answers  to  the  defini- 
tion of  vt'ar,  by  Bnrlamaqui,  "  a  nation  taking  up  arms 
with  a  view  to  decide  a  quarrel ;"  to  that  given  by  Vat- 
tel,  who  represents  it  to  be  "  that  state  in  which  a  nation 
prosecutes  its  right  by  force."  A  state  of  general  hostili- 
ties would  as  necessarily  follow  as  an  effect  would  follow 
a  cause  ;  no  nation  would  submit  to  the  irruption  of  a  hos- 
tile army  without  repelling  it  by  force  ;  the  proud  Casti- 
lian,  as  described  by  the  gentleman  from  Delaware,  would 
revolt  at  the  insult ;  the  door  of  negotiation  would  be  ef- 
fectually closed  ;  and  as  the  appeal  would  be  to  arms  in  the 
first  instance,  so  the  controversy  must  be  finally  decided 
by  the  preponderance  of  force.  It  would  therefore  not 
only  have  impressed  me  with  a  more  favorable  opinion  of 
the  honorable  mover's  candor,  but  also  of  his  decision  and 


272  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

energy  as  a  statesman,  if  he  had  spoken  out  boldly,  and 
declared  his  real  object.  War  is  unquestionably  his  de- 
sign— his  wish.  Why  then  mask  his  propositions  ?  Why 
combine  it  with  considerations  connected  with  negotia- 
tion ?  Why  not  furnish  the  American  people  at  once  with 
the  real  and  the  whole  project  of  himself  and  his  friends  ? 
If  it  is  bottomed  on  patriotism,  and  dictated  by  wisdom,  it 
need  not  shrink  from  the  touch  of  investigation — it  will 
receive  their  approving  voice,  and  be  supported  by  all 
their  force.  The  resolution  is  then  to  be  considered  as  a 
war  resolution ;  in  no  other  light  can  it  be  viewed,  in  no 
other  light  ought  it  to  be  viewed,  and  in  no  other  light  will 
it  be  viewed  by  the  intelligence  of  the  country. 

In  this  point  of  view,  I  will  proceed,  said  Mr.  C,  to  con- 
sider its  justice  and  policy,  its  conformity  with  the  laws 
and  usages  of  nations,  and  the  substantial  interests  of  this 
country. 

I  shall  not  attempt  to  occupy  your  attention  by  thread- 
bare declamation  upon  the  evils  of  w&,r ;  by  painting  the 
calamities  it  inflicts  upon  the  happiness  of  individuals,  and 
the  prosperity  of  nations.  This  terrible  scourge  of  man- 
kind, worse  than  famine  or  pestilence,  ought  not  to  be  re- 
sorted to  until  every  reasonable  expedient  has  been  adopt- 
ed to  avert  it.  When  aggressions  have  been  committed 
by  the  sovereign  or  representatives  of  the  will  of  a  na- 
tion, negotiation  ought  in  all  cases  to  be  first  tried, 
unless  the  rights  of  self-defence  demand  a  contrary 
course.  This  is  the  practice  of  nations,  and  is  enjoin- 
ed by  the  unerring  monitor  which  the  God  of  nature 
has  planted  in  every  human  bosom.  What  right  have 
the  rulers  of  nations  to  unsheath  the  sword  of  destruc- 
tion, and   to  let   loose  the   demons   of  desolation   upon 


MISSISSIPPI    aUESTION.  273 

mankind,  whenever  caprice  or  pride,  ambition  or  avarice, 
shall  prescribe  ?  And  are  there  no  fixed  laws  founded  in 
the  nature  of  things  which  ordain  bounds  to  the  fell  spirit 
of  revenge,  the  mad  fury  of  domination,  and  the  insatia- 
ble thirst  of  cupidity  ?  Mankind  have,  not  only  in  their 
individual  character,  but  in  their  collective  capacity  as 
nations,  recognized  and  avowed  in  their  opinions  and  ac- 
tions, a  system  of  laws  calculated  to  produce  the  greatest 
happiness  of  the  greatest  number.  And  it  may  be  safely 
asserted,  that  it  is  a  fundamental  article  of  this  code,  that 
a  nation  ought  not  to  go  to  war  until  it  is  evident  that 
the  injury  committed  is  highly  detrimental,  and  that  it 
emanated  from  the  will  of  the  nation  charged  with  the 
aggression,  either  by  an  express  authorization  in  the  first 
instance,  or  by  a  recognition  of  it  when  called  upon  for 
redress,  and  a  refusal  in  both  cases  to  give  it.  A  demand 
of  satisfaction  ought  to  precede  an  appeal  to  arms,  even 
when  the  injury  is  manifestly  the  act  of  the  sovereign  ; 
and  when  it  is  the  act  of  a  private  individual,  it  is  not 
imputable  to  his  nation,  until  its  Government  is  called 
upon  to  explain  and  redress,  and  refuses ;  because  the 
evils  of  war  are  too  heavy  and  serious  to  be  incurred 
without  the  most  urgent  necessity  ;  because  remonstrance 
and  negotiation  have  often  recalled  an  offending  nation  to 
a  sense  of  justice,  and  a  performance  of  right ;  because 
nations,  like  individuals,  have  their  paroxysms  of  passion, 
and  when  reflection  and  reason  resume  their  dominion, 
will  extend  that  redress  to  the  olive-branch  which  their 
pride  will  not  permit  them  to  grant  to  the  sword  ;  because 
a  nation  is  a  moral  person,  and  as  such  is  not  chargeable 
with  an  offence  committed  by  others,  or  where  its  will  has 
not  been  consulted,  the  unauthorized  conduct  of  indivi- 

18 


274  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

duals  being  never  considered  a  just  ground  of  hostility 
until  their  sovereign  refuses  that  reparation  for  which  his 
right  of  controlling  their  actions,  and  of  punishing  their 
misconduct,  necessarily  renders  him  responsible.  These 
opinions  are  sanctioned  by  the  most  approved  elementary 
writers  on  the  laws  of  nations.  I  shall  quote  the  senti- 
ments of  some  of  them. 

Vattel  says:  "  Two  things,  therefore,  are .  necessary  to 
render  it  (an  offensive  war)  just.  First,  a  right  to  be  as- 
serted ;  that  is,  that  a  demand  made  on  another  nation  be 
important  and  well  grounded  :  2d,  That  this  reasonable 
demand  cannot  be  obtained  otherwise  than  by  force  of 
arms.  Necessity  alone  warrants  the  use  of  force.  It  is 
a  dangerous  and  terrible  resource.  Nature,  the  common 
parent  of  mankind,  allows  of  it  only  in  extremity,  and 
when  all  others  fail.  It  is  doing  wrong  to  a  nation  to 
make  use  of  violence  against  it  before  we  know  whether 
it  be  disposed  to  do  us  justice,  or  to  refuse  it.  They  who, 
without  trying  pacific  measures,  on  the  least  motive  run 
to  arms,  sufficiently  show  that  justificative  reasons,  in  their 
mouths,  are  only  pretences  ;  they  eagerly  seize  the  oppor- 
tunity of  indulging  their  passions,  and  of  gratifying  their 
ambition,  under  some  color  of  right."  It  is  subsequently 
stated  by  this  admired  writer,  that  "  it  is  demonstrated  in 
the  foregoing  chapter,  that  to  take  arms  lawfully,  1.  That 
we  have  a  just  cause  of  complaint.  2.  That  a  reasonable 
satisfaction  has  been  denied  us,  &c." 

Burlamaqui  says  :  "  However  just  reason  we  may  have 
to  make  war,  yet  as  it  inevitably  brings  along  with  it  an 
incredible  number  of  calamities,  and  often  injustices,  it  is 
certain  that  we  ought  not  to  proceed  too  easily  to  a  dan- 
gerous extremity,  which  may  perhaps  prove  fatal  to  the 


MISSISSIPPI    aUESTION.  275 

conqueror  himself.  The  following  are  the  measures  which 
prudence  directs  sovereigns  to  observe  in  these  circum- 
stances :  1.  Supposing  the  reason  of  the  war  is  just  in  it- 
self, yet  the  dispute  ought  to  be  about  something  of  great 
consequence  to  us  ;  since  'tis  better  even  to  relinquish  part 
of  our  right,  when  the  thing  is  not  considerable,  than  to 
have  recourse  to  arms  to  defend  it.  2.  We  ought  to  have 
at  least  some  probable  appearance  of  success  ;  for  it  would 
be  a  criminal  temerity,  and  a  real  folly,  wantonly  to  ex- 
pose ourselves  to  certain  destruction,  and  to  run  into  a 
greater,  in  order  to  avoid  a  lesser  evil.  3.  Lastly,  there 
should  be  a  real  necessity  for  taking  up  arms  :  that  is,  we 
ought  not  to  have  recourse  to  force  but  when  we  can  em- 
ploy no  milder  method  of  recovering  our  rights,  or  of  de- 
fending ourselves  from  the  evils  with  which  we  are  men- 
aced. These  measures  are  agreeable  not  only  to  the  prin- 
ciples of  prudence,  but  also  to  the  fundamental  maxims  of 
sociability,  and  to  the  love  of  peace  ;  maxims  of  no  less 
force  with  respect  to  nations  than  individuals.  By  these 
a  sovereign  must,  therefore,  be  necessarily  directed ;  even 
the  justice  of  the  Government  obliges  him  to  it,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  very  nature  and  end  of  authority.  For  as 
he  ought  always  to  take  particular  care  of  the  state, 
and  of  his  subjects,  consequently  he  should  not  expose 
them  to  all  the  evils  with  which  war  is  attended,  except 
in  the  last  extremity,  and  when  there  is  no  other  expe- 
dient left  but  that  of  arms."  In  addition  to  these  great 
authorities,  permit  me  to  refer  severally  to  the  opinions  of 
two  more  modern  writers.  Martens  and  Paley.  The  former 
says  that  amicable  means  for  redress  must  be  tried  in  vain 
before  an  appeal  to  arms,  unless  it  is  evident  that  it  would 
be  useless  to  try  such  means ;  and  the  latter  is  of  opinion 


276  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

that  the  only  justifying  causes  of  war  are  deliberate  inva- 
sions of  right,  and  maintaining  the  balance  of  power.  It 
is  not  necessary  to  decide  upon  the  justice  of  the  last  ob- 
servation, because  it  does  not  apply  to  the  case  before  us. 
But  can  any  man  lay  his  hand  upon  his  heart  and  declare 
that  he  believes  the  present  case  a  deliberate  invasion  of 
right  by  the  Spanish  Government  ?  Can  any  man  say, 
that  it  would  be  fruitless  to  attempt  amicable  means  of 
redress,  and  that  the  sword  alone  can  restore  us  to  our 
rights  ? 

The  opinions  of  these  celebrated  writers  are  corrobora- 
ted by  the  general  usage  of  nations.  A  demand  of  redress 
before  the  application  of  force,  has  been  almost  uniformly 
practiced  by  the  most  barbarous,  as  well  as  the  most  civi- 
lized nations.  Instances  may  indeed  be  found  to  the  con- 
trary ;  but  they  are  to  be  considered  as  departures  from  es- 
tabUshed  usage.  The  ancient  Romans,  who  were  a  mili- 
tary nation,  and  who  marched  to  empire  through  an  ocean 
of  blood,  always  demanded  satisfaction  from  the  offending 
nation  before  they  proceeded  to  war ;  and  fixed  upon  a 
certain  time  in  which  the  demand  was  to  be  complied  with, 
at  the  expiration  of  which,  if  redress  was  still  withheld,  they 
then  endeavored  to  obtain  it  by  force.  It  has  been  the 
general  practice  of  the  civilized  nations  of  Europe  to  pro- 
mulge  manifestos,  justificatory  of  their  conduct  in  re- 
sorting to  arms.  These  manifestos  contain  a  full  state- 
ment of  their  wrongs,  and  almost  always  declare  that  they 
had  previously  endeavored  by  negotiation  to  obtain  a 
friendly  adjustment  of  their  complaints.  What  is  this, 
but  a  declaration  that  the  law  and  the  sense  of  nations 
demand  this  course  ?  What  is  it,  but  an  appeal  to  the 
intuitive  sense  of  right  and  wrong  which  exists  in  every 


MISSISSIPPI    aUESTION.  277 

human  bosom  ?  The  reign  of  the  present  King  of  Great 
Britain  has  been  emphatically  a  war  reign.  In  1760  he 
ascended  the  throne,  and  found  the  nation  at  war  with 
France.  Besides  his  wars  in  the  East  and  West  Indies,  al- 
most half  of  his  reign  has  been  consumed  in  wars  with 
this  country,  and  some  of  the  nations  of  Europe.  He  has 
been  three  times  at  war  with  France ;  three  times  with 
Spain ;  twice  with  Holland,  and  once  with  the  United 
States.  The  most  strange  events — events  which  have 
pleased  and  dazzled,  astonished  and  terrified  mankind — 
have  passed  upon  the  theater  of  the  world  in  his  time.  The 
ordinary  maxims  of  policy,  and  the  cardinal  principles  of 
action  have  been  reversed  and  prostrated.  The  world 
has  seen  the  revival  of  the  crusades,  and  all  the  great 
powers  of  Europe  in  arms,  and  a  destroying  and  desola- 
ting spirit  go  forth,  unknown  to  past  times.  Portentous 
as  a  portion  of  this  reign  has  been,  when  a  deviation  from 
the  established  laws  of  nations  might  naturally  be  expect- 
ed, and  degraded  as  the  power  and  condition  of  Spain  is 
represented  to  be,  I  am  willing  to  stake  the  whole  contro- 
versy upon  the  reciprocal  conduct  of  these  Governments 
to  each  other.  Of  all  wars,  one  with  Spain  is  the  most 
popular  in  England,  from  the  opportunities  it  affords  for 
maritime  spoliation,  and  lucrative  enterprise  :  for  the  same 
reasons  it  is  anxiously  deprecated  by  Spain ;  and  it  has 
even  grown  into  a  Spanish  proverb,  "  Peace  with  Eng- 
land, and  war  with  the  world."  Notwithstanding  the  pre- 
ponderating force  of  Great  Britain,  the  allurements  of 
popularity  and  cupidity,  her  great  and  extraordinary  ac- 
quisition of  maritime  power,  and  the  martial  temper  which 
has  marked  her  character  during  the  present  reign,  we 
find  the  very  power  with  whom  we  are  now  called  upon 


278  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

to  measure  swords,  meeting  her  propositions  for  negotia- 
tion or  arms  on  the  ground  of  perfect  equality,  maintain- 
ing a  steady  posture  and  an  erect  attitude,  passing  through 
her  colUsions  with  unspotted  reputation  and  unsullied  dig- 
nity, and  teaching  us  an  instructive  lesson,  that  while  we 
ought  never  to  bend  into  degrading  compliances,  we  are 
not  to  expect  that  a  nation  which  has  not  yielded  impro- 
perly to  the  power  in  the  world  most  able  to  injure  her, 
will  tamely  submit  to  the  insulting  and  imperious  measure 
recommended  so  earnestly  to  our  adoption.  Six  contro- 
versies have  occurred  between  Great  Britain  and  Spain, 
during  the  reign  of  the  present  king ;  three  have  termi- 
nated amicably  by  negotiation,  and  three  have  resulted  in 
war.  In  1761,  when  Great  Britain  was  at  war  with 
France,  a  memorial  was  presented  by  the  French  Ambas- 
sador at  London  to  the  English  Minister,  which  implica- 
ted some  demands  of  Spain  upon  Great  Britain,  and  which 
gave  great  offence  to  her  ministry.  A  negotiation  took 
place,  which  being  attended  with  an  insolent  demand  for 
a  sight  of  a  treaty  concluded  between  France  and  Spain, 
and  which  being  very  properly  refused,  a  war  ensued. 
Notwithstanding  the  conduct  of  Great  Britain  in  the 
course  of  this  transaction  was  precipitate  and  unjust,  ne- 
gotiation was  attempted  before  an  appeal  to  arms  ;  and 
the  future  disclosure  of  the  real  transaction  furnished  her 
with  a  salutary  lesson  ;  for  it  was  afterwards  found  that 
the  treaty  did  not  refer  to  the  existing  state  of  the  bellige- 
rent powers,  but  that  the  guarantee  it  contained  was  not 
to  operate  until  the  termination  of  the  war. 

In  the  year  1770,  the  remarkable  case  of  the  Faulkland 
Islands  occurred.  Six  years  before  a  settlement  was  made 
and  a  fort  erected  by  the  British  Government  on  one  of 


MISSISSIPPI    QUESTION,  279 

them,  with  a  view  to  accommodate  navigators  in  refitting 
their  ships  and  furnishing  them  with  necessaries  previous 
to  their  passage  through  the  Straits  of  Magellan,  or  the 
doubling  Cape  Horn.  This  settlement  gave  great  um- 
brage to  Spain  ;  not  only  upon  account  of  its  interference 
with  her  claim  of  sovereignty  to  almost  the  whole  south- 
ern Continent  of  America,  and  the  adjacent  islands,  but 
also  on  account  of  the  facility  it  would  afford  in  case  of  a 
future  war,  to  an  attack  upon  her  South-Sea  Territories. 
Ineffectual  remonstrances  were  made  on  the  part  of  Spain  ; 
and  at  last,  notwithstanding  the  claim  of  Great  Britain  by 
discovery  and  occupancy,  an  armed  force  was  sent ;  the 
fort  was  taken ;  the  settlement  was  broken  up,  and  the 
honor  of  the  British  flag  violated  by  the  taking  off  of  the 
rudder  of  a  king's  ship,  and  detaining  it  on  shore  twenty 
days.  What  course  did  the  British  pursue  on  this  occa- 
sion ?  In  this  case  the  insult  was  flagrant ;  the  honor  of 
their  flag,  the  dignity  of  their  crown,  and  the  commerce 
of  the  nation  were  implicated.  Was  the  sword  imme- 
diately unsheathed,  and  the  door  to  peace  effectually  closed  ? 
No !  negotiations  ensued  ;  a  convention  was  formed ;  Spain 
disavowed  the  violence  and  engaged  to  restore  the  pos- 
sessions ;  but  with  an  express  declaration  that  the  restitu- 
tion should  not  affect  the  question  concerning  the  prior 
right  of  sovereignty.  The  islands  were  also  evacuated 
three  years  afterwards  by  Great  Britain,  in  consequence 
of  a  secret  agreement. 

In  1779,  Spain  declared  war  against  Great  Britain,  al- 
ledging  unredressed  depredations  on  her  commerce,  and 
that  she  was  insulted  in  an  attempt  to  negotiate  between 
France  and  Great  Britain.  It  is  evident  that  this  step  on 
the  part  of  Spain  was  in  pursuance  of  the  family  com- 


280  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

pact,  and  was  not  justifiable  by  the  laws  of  nations.  It 
appears,  however,  that  previous  to  taking  this  measure,  she 
had  attempted  to  attain  her  objects  by  negotiation. 

In  1786,  the  long  disputes  respecting  the  English  settle- 
ments on  the  Musquito  shore,  and  the  coast  of  Honduras, 
were  settled  by  negotiation.  The  English  abandoned 
their  Musquito  settlements,  and  many  hundreds  of  fami- 
lies, who  had  inhabited  them  under  the  protection  and 
faith  of  the  British  Government,  were  peremptorily  com- 
pelled to  evacuate  that  country.  The  boundaries  of  the 
English  Honduras  settlements  were  enlarged,  but  in  such 
a  manner  as  to  leave  Spain  in  full  possession  of  her  terri- 
torial rights  and  exclusive  dominion. 

In  1790,  the  controversy  about  Nootka  Sound  arose  : 
two  years  before  a  settlement  was  made  there  by  an  asso- 
ciation of  British  merchants,  on  land  purchased  from  the 
natives,  with  a  view  to  caiTy  on  the  Fur  trade.  This  in- 
terfering with  the  commercial  rights  of  Spain,  a  Spanish 
frigate  was  dispatched  by  the  Viceroy  of  Mexico,  which 
seized  the  fort,  and  captured  the  English  vessels  trading 
there.  A  negotiation  took  place,  the  vessels  were  re- 
stored, and  the  settlements  agreed  to  be  yielded  back. 
But  there  was  an  express  reservation  on  the  part  of  Spain 
of  the  right  of  sovereignty  for  ulterior  discussion. 

In  1796,  Spain,  in  pursuance  of  a  treaty  of  alliance  of- 
fensive and  defensive  with  France,  declared  war  against 
Great  Britain.  From  this  short  narrative  it  will  appear 
that  in  almost  every  case  negotiation  was  attempted, 
even  when  indignity  and  violence  had  been  committed  ; 
that  in  many  instances  it  was  successful ;  that  in  two  of 
the  three  cases  where  hostilities  were  commenced,  Spain 
was  unequivocally  the  aggressor  ;  that  in  most  of  her  ad- 


MISSISSIPPI    aUESTION.  281 

justments  she  stood  upon  ground  at  least  equal,  and  in 
some,  superior  to  Great  Britain  ;  that  in  all  of  them  she 
maintained  a  high  sense  of  character  and  independence, 
and  that  in  points  affecting  the  most  dehcate  considera- 
tions of  national  honor,  interest,  and  right,  and  where  oc- 
currences  of  a  very  irritating  nature  had  taken  place,  and 
more  aggravated  than  the  one  of  which  we  justly  com- 
plain, the  path  of  negotiation  was  deemed  the  path  of 
honor,  by  two  of  the  great  nations  of  Europe. 

The  practice  of  our  Government  has  been  uniformly 
conformable  with  the  principles  I  have  endeavored  to  es- 
tablish, and  I  trust  I  shall  be  excused  for  bestowing  par- 
ticular consideration  on  this  subject.  We  have  heard 
much  of  the  policy  of  WAsmNCTON.  It  has  been  sounded 
in  our  ears  from  all  quarters.  And  an  honorable  gentle- 
man from  Delaware  (Mr.  White),  has  triumphantly  con- 
trasted it  with  that  adopted  by  the  present  administration. 
1  am  not  disposed  to  censure  it  in  this  case  :  on  the  con- 
trary, I  think  it  a  high  and  respectable  authority.  But 
let  it  be  properly  understood  in  order  to  be  rightly  appre- 
ciated, and  it  will  be  found  that  the  United  States  under 
his  administration,  and  that  of  his  successor,  have  received 
injuries  more  deleterious,  insults  more  atrocious,  and  in- 
dignities more  pointed  than  the  present,  and  that  the  pa- 
cific measure  of  negotiation  was  preferred.  If  our  national 
honor  has  survived  the  severe  wounds  it  then  received,  it 
may  surely  outlive  the  comparatively  slight  attack  now 
made  upon  it ;  but  if  its  ghost  only  now  remains  to  haunt 
the  consciences  of  the  honorable  gentlemen  who  were 
then  in  power,  and  who  polluted  their  hands  with  the  foul 
murder,  let  them  not  attempt  to  transfer  the  odium  and 
the  crime  to  those  who  had  no  hand  in  the  guilty  deed. 


282  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

They  then  stood  high  in  the  councils  of  their  country. 
The  reins  of  government  were  in  their  hands  ;  and  if  the 
course  they  at  that  time  pursued  was  diametrically  op- 
posite to  that  they  now  urge  for  our  adoption,  what  shall 
we  say  of  their  consistency  ?  What  will  they  say  of  it 
themselves  ?  What  will  their  country  say  of  it  ?  Will 
it  be  believed  that  the  tinkling  sounds  and  professions  of 
patriotism  which  have  been  so  vehemently  pressed  upon 
us,  are  the  emanations  of  sincerity,  or  will  they  be  set 
down  to  the  account  of  juggling  imposture  ?  Although 
but  an  infant  nation,  our  career  has  been  eventful  and  in- 
teresting. We  have  already  had  very  serious  collisions 
with  three  of  the  most  powerful  nations  of  Europe,  who 
are  connected  with  us  by  treaty,  by  neighborhood,  and  by 
commerce.  Great  Britain,  France,  and  Spain,  have  suc- 
cessively committed  very  great  aggressions  upon  our  na- 
tional rights.  In  stating  these  I  have  no  intention  of  re- 
viving feelings  which  I  trust  have  ceased  with  the  causes 
which  gave  them  birth,  nor  of  aspersing  the  characters  of 
nations  who  certainly  hold  the  most  important  and  re- 
spectable station  in  the  civilized  world.  Our  differences 
with  Great  Britain  were  coeval  with  the  treaty  of  peace. 
The  detention  of  the  Westei'n  posts  was  a  direct  violation 
of  that  treaty  ;  it  diverted  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
fur  trade  from  the  United  States,  and  disabled  us  from 
bridling  the  hostile  Indians,  which  was  a  source  of  im- 
mense injury.  This  evil  continued  for  twelve  years,  un- 
der every  circumstance  of  aggravation  and  insult.  Brit- 
ish soldiers  issued  from  those  forts  into  parts  of  our  terri- 
tory, where  we  exercised  jurisdiction,  and  seized  the  per- 
sons of  deserters  without  the  aid  or  sanction  of  the  au- 
thorities of  the  country ;  and  these  possessions  served  as 


MISSISSIPPI    aUESTION.  283 

asylums  for  the  savages  who  were  in  hostile  array  against 
us ;  and  as  store-houses  and  magazines  to  supply  them 
with  arms,  ammunition,  and  provisions.  The  seat  of 
Government  of  Upper  Canada  was  also  held  for  a  time  at 
Niagara,  in  the  State  of  New  York,  an  indignity  of  the 
most  marked  character.  Many  thousands  of  negroes 
were  also  carried  off  in  violation  of  the  treaty,  and  a  very 
serious  injury  was  thereby  inflicted  on  the  agricultural 
pursuits  of  our  southern  citizens.  On  the  other  hand,  it 
was  stated  on  the  part  of  Great  Britain  that  the  treaty 
was  violated  by  the  United  States ;  for  that  impediments 
had  been  interposed  against  the  recovery  of  British  debts 
by  legislative  acts  and  judicial  decisions  in  several  of  the 
States.  As  there  were  mutual  reclamations  and  recipro- 
cal complaints,  let  us  balance  the  account,  and  set  off 
these  grievances  against  each  other.  Let  us  suppose  that 
both  parties  acted  right,  and  that  no  real  cause  of  crimi- 
nation existed,  still  I  contend  that  the  conduct  of  Great 
Britain,  independent  of  the  inexecution  of  the  treaty  of 
peace,  was  much  more  aggravated  than  the  case  before  us. 
It  is  well  known  that  we  were  engaged  in  a  bloody  and 
expensive  war  with  several  of  the  Indian  tribes ;  that 
two  of  our  armies  had  been  routed  by  them ;  and  that  we 
were  finally  compelled  to  make  great  efforts  to  turn  the 
tide  of  victory.  These  Indians  were  encouraged  and  aid- 
ed by  the  emissaries  of  Great  Britain.  British  subjects 
were  seen  disguised  fighting  in  their  ranks,  and  British 
agents  were  known  to  furnish  them  with  provisions,  and 
the  implements  of  war.  The  Governor-General  of  Cana- 
da, a  highly  confidential  and  distinguished  officer,  deliver- 
ed a  speech  to  the  Seven  Nations  of  Lower  Canada,  excit- 
ing them  to  enmity  against  this  country  ;  but  in  order  to 


284  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

furnish  the  savages  at  war  with  sufficient  aid,  a  detach- 
ment of  British  troops  penetrated  into  our  territory,  and 
erected  a  Fort  on  the  Miami  River.  Here  the  Indians, 
dispersed  and  defeated  by  Wayne,  took  refuge,  and  were 
protected  under  the  muzzle  of  the  British  cannon.  A  vio- 
lation of  territory  is  one  of  the  most  flagrant  injuries 
which  can  be  offered  to  a  nation,  and  would  in  most  cases 
justify  an  immediate  resort  to  arms,  because  in  most  cases 
essential  to  self-defence.  Not  content  with  exciting  the 
savages  of  America  against  us,  Great  Britain  extended  her 
hostility  to  the  eastern  hemisphere,  and  let  loose  the  bar- 
barians of  Africa  upon  us.  A  war  existed  at  that  time 
between  Portugal  and  Algiers.  The  former  blocked  up 
the  mouth  of  the  Straits,  by  her  superior  naval  force,  and 
prevented  the  pirates  from  a  communication  with  the  At- 
lantic. Portugal  has  been  for  a  long  time  subservient  to 
the  views  of  Great  Britain.  A  peace  was  effected  through 
the  mediation  of  the  latter.  Our  unprotected  merchant- 
men were  then  exposed,  without  defence,  to  the  piracies 
of  Algiers.  Thus  in  three-quarters  of  the  globe  we  at  one 
time  felt  the  effects  of  British  enmity.  In  the  meantime 
our  commerce  in  every  sea  was  exposed  to  her  rapacity. 
All  France  was  declared  in  a  state  of  siege,  and  the  con- 
veyance of  provisions  expressly  interdicted  to  neutrals.  Pa- 
per blockades  were  substituted  for  actual  ones,  and  the  sta- 
ple commodities  of  our  country  lay  perishing  in  our  store- 
houses, or  were  captured  on  the  ocean,  and  were  diverted 
from  the  lawful  proprietors.  Our  seamen  were  pressed 
wherever  found.  Our  protections  were  a  subject  of  derision, 
and  opposition  to  the  imperious  mandates  of  their  haughty 
tyrants  was  punished  by  famine  or  by  stripes ;  by  imprison- 
ment, or  by  the  gibbet.  To  complete  the  full  measure  of  our 


MISSISSIPPI    aUESTION.  285 

wrongs,  the  November  orders  of  1792  were  issued;  our 
ships  were  swept  from  the  ocean,  as  if  by  the  operation  of 
enchantment ;  hundreds  of  them  were  captured  ;  ahnost  all 
our  merchants  were  greatly  injured,  and  many  of  them  were 
reduced  to  extreme  poverty.  These  proceedings,  without 
even  a  pretext,  without  the  forms  of  justice,  without  the 
semblance  of  equity,  were  calculated  to  inflame  every 
American  feeling,  and  to  nerve  every  American  arm. 
Negotiation  was  however  pursued ;  an  envoy  extraordi- 
nary, in  every  sense  of  the  word,  was  sent  to  demand  re- 
dress ;  and  a  treaty  of  amity,  commerce,  and  navigation, 
was  formed  and  ratified.  These  events  took  place  under 
the  administration  of  Washington.  The  Spanish  treaty, 
concluded  on  the  27th  October,  1795,  stipulated  for  a  set- 
tlement of  boundaries,  and  an  adjustment  of  spoliations 
on  commerce,  and  contained  a  declaration  of  the  free  navi- 
gation of  the  Mississippi,  and  a  grant  of  the  privilege  of 
deposit  at  New  Orleans.  This  treaty  for  more  than  two 
years  afterwards  was  not  executed  on  the  part  of  Spain. 
In  January,  1698,  a  report  was  made  to  Mr.  Adams,  by 
Mr.  Secretary  Pickering,  and  submitted  to  Congress, 
which  charged  Spain  with  retaining  her  troops  and  garri- 
sons within  the  United  States ;  with  evading  to  run  the 
boundary  line ;  with  stopping,  controlling,  and  regulating 
the  passage  of  our  citizens  on  the  Mississippi ;  and  with 
sending  emissaries  among  the  Indians  residing  within  our 
territories,  in  violation  of  the  treaty  and  the  relations  of 
amity.  Here  then,  a  treaty  securing  the  important  bene- 
fit of  deposit,  was  in  a  state  of  inexecution  for  a  long  pe- 
riod. Our  citizens  were  also  interrupted  in  the  free  navi- 
gation of  the  Mississippi ;  and  other  aggressions,  aflfecting 
our  territorial  rights,  and  our  internal  peace,  were  super- 


286  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

added.  Was  it  at  that  time  proposed  by  the  honorable 
gentlemen  who  were  then  in  power,  as  it  now  is,  when 
they  are  deprived  of  it,  to  seize  New  Orleans  with  an 
armed  force  ?  Were  they  then  so  feelingly  alive  to  the 
wrongs  of  our  western  brethren  ?  Did  they  manifest  that 
irritable  sensibility  for  national  honor  which  is  now  thun- 
dered in  our  ears  with  such  extraordinary  emphasis  ?  If  it 
is  right  for  us  to  act  now  in  the  way  they  propose,  what 
will  excuse  them  for  not  pursuing  the  same  system  then  ? 
Was  their  political  vision  darkened  by  the  eminence  on 
which  they  stood  ?  And  does  it  require  the  ordeal  of  ad- 
versity to  open  their  eyes  to  a  true  sense  of  their  country's 
honor  and  interest  ?  Let  them  answer  to  their  constitu- 
uents,  to  their  consciences,  and  to  their  God. 

An  amicable  explanation  was  had  with  Spain,  and  our 
wrongs  were  satisfactorily  redressed.  This  took  place  in 
the  administration  of  Mr.  Adams,  and  when  most  of  the 
honorable  gentlemen  who  support  this  war  resolution,  ex- 
cept such  as  were  dangling  in  the  courts  of  Europe,  held 
prominent  stations  in  the  councils  of  the  country. 

Our  differences  with  France  were  of  a  more  serious  na- 
ture, and  of  a  longer  duration.  They  commenced  in  the 
administration  of  Mr.  Washington,  and  were  adjusted  in 
that  of  his  successor.  Great  and  enormous  depredations 
were  committed  upon  our  commerce  by  France,  and  our 
merchants  were  fraudulently  robbed  of  compensation  for 
provisions  supplied  her  in  the  hour  of  distress.  The  treaty 
and  consular  convention  were  violated.  The  right  of  em- 
bassy, a  sacred  right,  respected  even  by  the  ferocious  sava- 
ges, was  wantonly  trampled  upon ;  and  the  representative  of 
our  national  sovereignty  was  refused  a  reception,  and  igno- 
miniously  ordered  out  of  France.     A  fresh  attempt  at  ne- 


MISSISSIPPI    aUESTION.  287 

gotiation  was  made  :  three  ministers  were  sent,  armed 
with  all  the  powers,  and  clothed  with  all  the  honors  of 
diplomacy.  They  were  also  refused  a  hearing,  and  were 
forced  to  leave  the  country  without  experiencing  the  forms 
of  common  civility.  The  treaty  was  then  annulled,  and 
reprisals  directed  ;  and  when  the  honorable  gentlemen 
and  their  friends,  then  in  power,  had  worked  up  the  pas- 
sions of  the  nation  to  the  highest  pitch  of  exasperation  ; 
when  war,  blood}^  war,  was  expected  from  all  quarters ; 
when  the  war-worn  soldiers  of  the  Revolution  were  gird- 
ing on  their  swords,  and  preparing  to  stand  between  their 
country  and  the  danger  that  menaced  her,  the  scene  sud- 
denly changed  ;  the  black  cloud  passed  away  ;  and  we 
again  beheld  three  ministers  at  Paris,  extending  the  olive- 
branch,  burying  all  animosities,  and  returning  with  a  trea- 
ty of  "firm^  inviolable;  and  universal  peace,  and  true  and 
sincere  friendship."  I  shall  not  press  this  subject  any 
further  upon  the  feelings  of  the  honorable  gentlemen.  I 
read  in  their  countenances  the  emotions  they  experience. 

I  have  thus  shewn  that  the  course  recommended  for  our 
adoption  is  not  warranted  by  the  laws  and  usage  of  na- 
tions, nor  by  the  practice  of  our  Government.  I  shall 
now  examine  whether  it  is  not  repugnant  to  the  best  in- 
terests of  the  country. 

A  vast  augmentation  of  our  national  debt  would  be  the 
certain  consequence  of  this  measure.  It  is  a  moderate 
estimate  to  say,  that  our  annual  expenditures,  over  and 
above  our  surplus  revenue,  would  be  20  millions  of  dol- 
lars ;  and  we  cannot  reasonably  expect  that  the  war  would 
continue  a  shorter  period  than  five  years.  Hence  100 
millions  would  be  added  to  our  debt,  and  the  great  experi- 
ment which  we  are  now  trying  of  extinguishing  it  in  four- 


288  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

teen  years,  would  certainly  fail  ; — an  experiment  which 
has  been  defeated  in  Europe,  by  war  and  prodigality  ;  and 
for  the  success  of  which,  in  this  country,  every  friend  of 
republican  Government  looks  with  the  greatest  anxiety. 
But  this  is  not  all  :  heavy  and  oppressive  taxation  would 
be  necessary,  in  order  to  pay  off  the  interest  of  the  ac- 
cumulating debt,  and  to  meet  the  other  exigencies  of 
Government.  We  are  now  a  happy  nation  in  this  respect. 
Neither  the  temper  nor  the  habits  of  our  citizens  will  pa- 
tiently submit  to  severe  burdens ;  and  happily  the  posture 
of  our  financial  arrangements  does  not  require  them. 
Give  the  rein,  however,  to  chimerical  notions  of  war ; 
embrace  the  proposition  now  submitted  to  us ;  and  the 
weight  of  your  impositions  will  be  felt  in  every  nerve  and 
artery  of  our  political  system.  Excises,  taxes  on  houses 
and  lands,  will  be  reintroduced,  and  the  evils  of  former 
administrations  will  be  multiplied  upon  us.  But  the  mis- 
chief will  not  stop  here :  with  the  increasing  calls  for 
money  from  the  people,  their  means  to  satisfy  them  will 
be  diminished.  The  superior  naval  force  of  the  enemy 
would  cripple  our  commerce  in  every  quarter  of  the  globe. 
Great  Britain  and  Spain  hold  the  keys  of  the  Mediterra- 
nean :  we  should  therefore  be  entirely  shut  out  of  that  sea, 
unless  we  could  persuade  the  former  to  unite  her  exer- 
tions with  ours.  With  the  decay  of  our  commerce,  with 
our  exclusion  from  foreign  markets,  the  labors  of  our  far- 
mers would  be  palsied ;  the  skill  of  our  manufacturers 
would  be  rendered  useless;  and  with  the  fruits  of  their 
industry  perishing  on  their  hands,  or  greatly  undersold, 
how  would  they  be  able  to  meet  the  augmented  wants  of 
Government  ?  What  in  the  mean  time  would  become  of 
the  claim  of  our  merchants  upon  Spain,  for  at  least  five 


MISSISSIPPI    aUESTION.  289 

millions  of  dollars  ;  and  to  what  perils  would  your  com- 
mercial cities  be  exposed  ?  These  certain  evils  would  be 
encountered,  without  producing  the  least  benefit  to  our 
western  brethren.  The  seizure  of  New  Orleans  would 
vest  us  with  a  place  of  deposit.  But  a  place  of  deposit 
without  the  free  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  would  be 
entirely  useless.  As  long  as  the  enemy  holds  the  country 
below  New  Orleans,  and  possesses  a  superior  naval  force, 
so  long  we  will  be  excluded  from  the  Mississippi.  Sup- 
pose, however,  this  obstacle  removed  ;  suppose  we  are 
enabled  to  pass  into  the  Gulf,  without  molestation ;  is  it 
not  necessary  for  vessels  to  hug  the  island  of  Cuba  on 
their  passage  to  the  Atlantic  States  ?  And  will  not  this 
expose  them  to  certain  capture,  as  long  as  Spain  retains 
that  important  possession.  To  secure  the  great  object 
said  to  be  aimed  at  by  this  resolution,  and  to  establish  be- 
yond the  reach  of  annoyance,  a  free  communication  be- 
tween the  Atlantic  and  western  States,  we  must  sieze  not 
only  New  Orleans,  but  the  Floridas  and  Cuba  ;  and  we 
must  immediately  create  a  formidable  navy.  It  is  need- 
less to  mention  that  the  Atlantic  States  are,  with  few  ex- 
ceptions, the  carriers  of  western  produce.  Three-fourths 
of  that  trade  is  managed  by  the  merchants  of  the  State  I 
•  have  the  honor  to  represent.  I  therefore  view  this  mea- 
sure as  pregnant  with  great  mischief  to  the  commerce  of 
Atlantic  America,  and  as  a  certain  exclusion  of  the  west- 
ern States  from  market,  as  long  as  the  war  shall  continue. 
It  is  no  shght  objection  in  the  minds  of  the  sincere 
friends  of  republicanism,  that  this  measure  will  have  a 
tendency  to  disadjust  the  balance  of  our  Government,  by 
strengthening  the  hands  of  the  executive,  furnishing  him 
with  extensive  patronage,  investing  him  with  great  discre- 

19 


890  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

tionary  powers,  and  placing  under  his  direction  a  large 
standing  army.     It  is  the  inevitable  consequence  of  war 
in  free  countries,  that  the  power  which  wields  the  force 
will  rise  above  the  power  that  expresses  the  M^ill  of  the 
people.     The  State  Governments  will  also  receive  a  se- 
vere shock.     Those  stately  pillars,  which  support  the  mag- 
nificent dome  of  our  national  Government,  will  totter  un- 
der the  increased  weight  of  the  superincumbent  pressure. 
Nor  will  the  waste  of  morals,  the  spirit  of  cupidity,  the 
thirst  of  blood,  and  the  general  profligacy  of  manners, 
which  will  follow  the  introduction  of  this  measure,  be 
viewed  by  the  great  body   of  our  citizens  without   the 
most  fearful  anxiety  and  the  most  heartfelt  deprecation. 
And  if  there  are  any  persons  in  this  country,  and  I  should 
regret  if  there  are  any   such  in  this  house,  who  think 
that  a  public  debt  is  a  public  blessing,  and  that  heavy 
taxation  is  expedient  in  order  to  produce  industry ;  who 
believe    that    large    standing    armies    are    essential    to 
maintain  the  energy,  and  that  extensive  patronage  is  in- 
dispensable to  support  the  dignity,  of  Government ;  who 
suppose  that  frequent  wars  are  necessary  to  animate  the    | 
human  character,  and  to  call  into  action  the  dormant  en- 
ergies of  our  nature ;  who  have  been  expelled  from  au- 
thority and  power  by  the  indignant  voice  of  an  offended*  ^ 
country,  and  who  repine  and  suffer  at  the  great  and  un-    I 
exampled  prosperity  which  this  country  is  rapidly  attain-    j 
ing  under  other  and  better  auspices — such  men,  whoever    ' 
they  are,  and  wherever  they  be,  will  rally  round  the  pro-    ; 
position  now  before  us,  and  will  extol  it  to  the  heavens,  as    , 
the  model  of  the  most  profound  policy,  and  as  the  offspring    | 
of  the  most  exalted  energy.  I 

If  1  were  called  upon  to  prescribe  a  course  of  policy 


MISSISSIPPI    aUESTION.  291 

most  important  for  this  country  to  pursue,  it  would  be  to 
avoid  European  connections  and  wars.  The  time  must 
arrive  when  we  will  have  to  contend  with  some  of  the 
great  powers  of  Europe ;  but  let  that  period  be  put  off  as 
long  as  possible.  It  is  our  interest  and  our  duty  to  culti- 
vate peace,  with  sincerity  and  good  faith.  As  a  young 
nation,  pursuing  industry  in  every  channel,  and  adventur- 
ing commerce  in  every  sea,  it  is  highly  important  that  we 
should  not  only  have  a  pacific  character,  but  that  we 
should  really  deserve  it.  If  we  manifest  an  unwarrant- 
able ambition,  and  a  rage  for  conquest,  we  unite  all  the 
great  powers  of  Europe  against  us.  •  The  security  of  all 
the  European  possessions  in  our  vicinity  will  eternally  de- 
pend, not  upon  their  strength,  but  upon  our  moderation 
and  justice.  Look  at  the  Canadas ;  at  the  Spanish  territo- 
ries to  the  south  ;  at  the  British,  Spanish,  French,  Danish, 
and  Dutch  West  India  Islands ;  at  the  vast  countries  to 
the  west,  as  far  as  where  the  Pacific  rolls  its  waves.  Con- 
sider well  the  eventful  consequences  that  would  result, 
if  we  were  possessed  by  a  spirit  of  conquest.  Con- 
sider well  the  impression  which  a  manifestation  of  that 
spirit  will  make  upon  those  who  would  be  affected  by  it. 
If  we  are  to  rush  at  once  into  the  territory  of  a  neighbor- 
ing nation,  witk  fire  and  sword,  for  the  misconduct  of  a 
subordinate  officer,  will  not  our  national  character  be 
greatly  injured  ?  Will  we  not  be  classed  with  the  robbers 
and  destroyers  of  mankind  ?  Will  not  the  nations  of 
Europe  perceive  in  this  conduct  the  germ  of  a  lofty  spirit, 
and  an  enterprising  ambition  which  will  level  them  to  the 
earth,  when  age  has  matured  our  strength,  and  expanded 
our  powers  of  annoyance — unless  they  combine  to  cripple 
us  in  our  infancy  ?     May  not  the  consequences  be,  that 


292  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

we  must  look  out  for  a  naval  force  to  protect  our  com- 
merce. That  a  close  alliance  will  result.  That  we  will 
be  thrown  at  once  into  the  ocean  of  European  politics, 
where  every  wave  that  rolls,  and  every  wind  that  blows, 
will  agitate  our  bark  ?  Is  this  a  desirable  state  of  things  ? 
Will  the  people  of  this  country  be  seduced  into  it  by  all 
the  colorings  of  rhetoric  and  all  the  arts  of  sophistry ;  by 
vehement  appeals  to  their  pride,  and  artful  addresses  to 
their  cupidity  ?  No,  sir.  Three-fourths  of  the  American 
people,  I  assert  it  boldly  and  without  fear  of  contradiction, 
are  opposed  to  this  measure.  And  would  you  take  up  arms 
with  a  mill-stone  hanging  round  your  neck  ?  How  would 
you  bear  up,  not  only  against  the  force  of  the  enemy,  but 
against  the  irresistible  curreM  of  public  opinion.  The 
thing,  sir,  is  impossible ;  the  measure  is  worse  than  mad- 
ness :  it  is  wicked,  beyond  the  powers  of  description. 

It  is  in  vain  for  the  mover  to  oppose  these  weighty  con- 
siderations by  menacing  us  with  an  insurrection  of  the 
western  States,  that  may  eventuate  in  their  seizure  of 
New  Orleans  without  the  authority  of  Government ;  their 
throwing  themselves  into  the  arms  of  a  foreign  power — or 
in  a  dissolution  of  the  Union.     Such  threats  are  doubly 
improper :  improper  as  they  respect  the  persons  to  whom 
they  are  addressed — because  we  are  not  to  be  terrified  from 
the  performance  of  our  duty  by  menaces  of  any  kind,  from 
whatever  quarter  they  may  proceed ;  and  it  is  no  less  im- 
proper to  represent  our  western  brethren  as  a  lawless  un- 
principled banditti,  who  would  at  once  release  themselves 
from  the  wholesome  restraints  of  law  and  order,  forego 
the  sweets  of  liberty,  and  either  renounce  the  blessings  of 
self-government,  or  like  the  Goths  and  Vandals,  pour  down 
with  the  irresistible  force  of  a  torrent  upon  the  countries 
below,  and  carry  havoc  and  desolation  in  their  train.     A 


I 


MISSISSIPPI    aUESTION.  293 

separation  by  a  mountain,  and  a  different  outlet  into  the 
Atlantic,  cannot  create  any  natural  collision  between  the 
Atlantic  and  western  States.  On  the  contrary,  they  are 
bound  together  by  a  community  of  interests,  and  a  simi- 
larity of  language  and  manners ;  by  the  ties  of  consan- 
guinity and  friendship,  and  a  sameness  of  principles. 
There  is  no  reflecting  and  well-principled  man  in  this 
country  who  can  view  the  severance  of  the  States  with- 
out horror,  and  who  does  not  consider  it  as  a  Pandora's 
box  which  will  overwhelm  us  with  every  calamity ;  and 
it  has  struck  me  with  not  a  little  astonishment,  that  on 
the  agitation  of  almost  every  great  political  question,  we 
should  be  menaced  with  this  evil.  Last  session,  when 
a  bill  repealing  a  judiciary  act  was  under  consideration, 
we  were  told  that  the  eastern  States  would  withdraw  them- 
selves from  the  Union  if  it  should  obtain  ;  and  we  are  now 
informed,  that  if  we  do  not  accede  to  the  proposition  be- 
fore us,  the  western  States  will  hoist  the  standard  of  re- 
volt, and  dismember  the  empire.  Sir,  these  threats  are 
calculated  to  produce  the  evils  they  predict ;  and  they  may 
possibly  approximate  the  spirit  they  pretend  to  warn  us 
against.  They  are  at  all  times  unnecessary — at  all  times 
improper — at  all  times  mischievous — and  ought  never  to 
be  mentioned  within  these  walls.  If  there  be  a  portion  of 
the  United  States  peculiarly  attached  to  republican  Gov- 
ernment and  the  present  administration,  I  should  select 
the  western  States  as  that  portion.  Since  the  recent  elec- 
tions, there  is  not  a  single  senator,  or  a  single  representa- 
tive in  Congress,  from  that  vast  country,  unfriendly  to  the 
present  order  of  things ;  and  except  in  a  part  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi Territory — and  its  whole  population  did  not  by  the 
last  census  reach  nine  thousand  souls — there  is  scarcely  the 
appearance  of  opposition.     To  represent  a  people  so  re- 


294  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

publican,  so  enlightened,  and  so  firm  in  their  principles,  as 
ready,  without  any  adequate  cause,  (for  no  Government 
could  watch  over  their  interests  with  more  paternal  solici- 
tude than  the  present  upon  the  present  question),  to  vio- 
late their  plighted  faith  and  political  integrity  ;  to  detach 
themselves  from  the  Government  they  love,  and  to  throw 
themselves  under  the  protection  of  nations  whose  politi- 
cal systems  are  entirely  repugnant  to  their  own,  requires 
an  extent  of  credulity  rarely  equalled — certainly  never 
surpassed.  If  we  examine  the  indications  of  public  sen- 
timent which  have  reached  us,  we  see  them  breathing 
quite  a  contrary  spirit.  The  legislatures  of  Kentucky 
and  the  Mississippi  Territory  have  expressed  full  confi- 
dence in,.the  conduct  of  the  Government  respecting  the 
infraction  of  the  treaty.  Virginia,  which  embraces  a  re- 
spectable portion  of  western  population,  has  done  the  same. 
The  legislature  of  Tennessee  has  not  been  in  session  ;  but 
from  the  most  recent  and  authentic  accounts,  we  have 
every  reason  to  believe  that  that  State  and  the  Indiana 
Territory  are  entirely  satisfied  with  the  position  our  Gov- 
ernment has  taken.  The  infant  State  of  Ohio  has  pre- 
sented us  with  an  address,  couched  in  the  warmest  terms 
of  affectionate  attachment,  equally  honorable  to  her  and 
to  us ;  and  her  recent  elections  have  manifested  the  same 
decided  spirit.  Out  of  forty-five  members  returned  to  her 
first  legislature,  there  are  only  five  to  be  found  in  the  op- 
position. Pennsylvania  is  the  only  remaining  state  which 
possesses  any  western  territory,  and  I  need  only  refer  you 
to  her  elections  to  demonstrate  the  extraordinary  attach- 
ment to  the  Government  which  prevails  in  that  great  and 
respectable  State.  In  the  next  Congress  there  will  not  be 
a  single  member  in  opposition  from  Pennsylvania,  and  her 
State  elections  have  been  attended  with  nearly  the  same 


MISSISSIPPI    aUESTION.  295 

distinguished  unanimily.  Under  the  influence  of  such 
honorable  principles,  and  under  the  auspices  of  the  great 
character  who  so  deservedly  holds  the  reins  of  her  govern- 
ment, and  so  extensively  possesses  the  confidence  of  his 
fellow-citizens,  we  have  nothing  to  apprehend  on  her  part 
from  the  evils  with  which  we  have  been  so  liberally  men- 
aced. Delaware — which  has  no  western  country,  which 
carries  on  little  or  no  trade  with  the  western  States,  and 
which  has  no  immediate  interest  in  the  present  question — 
has  indeed  lifted  up  her  voice  against  the  measures  of  the 
general  Administration,  and  has  demanded  a  more  ener- 
getic course.  I  shall  be  the  last  man  to  speak  disrespect- 
fully of  any  of  the  State  Governments.  I  mean  not  to 
disparage  the  conduct  of  Delaware ;  and  I  trust  I  do  not, 
when  I  say  that  New  York,  which  has  a  greater  interest 
in  the  Spanish  infraction  than  any  of  the  Atlantic  States, 
is  entitled  to  equal  attention ;  and  she  has,  through  her 
Legislature  and  executive,  declared  her  warmest  approba- 
tion of  the  course  pursued  by  the  general  Government  on 
this  interesting  occasion. 

It  is  equally  in  vain  for  the  honorable  mover  to  declare 
that  the  seizure  of  New  Orleans  will  facilitate  negotiation, 
and  avert  war;  that  we  will  lose  our  character  if  we  do  not ; 
that  delay  will  give  Spain  time  to  prepare ;  that  our  execu- 
tive lias  taken  no  course  that  we  know  of;  and  that  the  oppo- 
sition will  lend  us  their  aid  if  we  follow  their  advice.  In 
opposition  to  these  suggestions,  we  say  that  the  seizure  of 
New  Orleans  is  war  in  fact,  and  will  shut  out  negotiation; 
that  character  is  to  be  lost,  not  by  firm  and  honorable  mo- 
deration, but  by  rash  and  boyish  precipitation  ;  that  delay 
is  an  evil  that  cannot  be  avoided,  if  we  pursue  the  path  of 
negotiation,  which  is  the  course  our  Goverment  has  taken; 
and  that  if  it  gives  our  adversary  time  for  preparation,  it 


296  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

will  also  furnish  us  with  the  same  advantage  ;  that  how- 
ever desirable  it  may  be  to  produce  an  union  of  sentiment 
and  action  among  our  fellow-citizens,  we  are  certain  that 
it  will  not  result  from  the  adoption  of  the  present  measure ; 
that  the  great  body  of  the  people  will  consider  it  rash  and 
unjust ;  and  that  in  gaining  the  transient  and  doubtful 
support  of  a  small  minority,  we  will  alienate  the  affections, 
and  lose  the  confidence  of  our  best  friends — who  will  cer- 
tainly desert  us  when  we  desert  the  laudable  principles  which 
ought  alone  to  entitle  us  to  their  esteem  and  attachment. 

If  negotiation  shall  prove  successful — and  of  this  I  have 
no  doubt — all  the  evils  resulting  from  war  will  be  averted. 
If,  on  the  contrary,  it  shall  eventuate  unfortunately,  and 
we  shall  be  compelled  to  face  all  consequences,  and  risk 
all  dangers  in  the  maintenance  of  our  national  honor  and 
national  rights,  great  and  abundant  advantages  will  still 
result  from  the  pursuit  of  this  course  ;  and  we  will  be  ena- 
bled to  appeal  to  the  swoi'd,  with  a  full  conviction  of  the 
justice  of  our  conduct ;  with  the  unanimous  suffrage  of 
our  country ;  and  to  the  perfect  satisfaction  of  the  world. 
In  the  mean  time,  we  can  form  some  necessary  prepara- 
tions, and  we  can  ascertain  the  feelings  and  bearings  of 
foreign  Governments.  Every  day  of  procrastination  will 
find  us  better  prepared,  and  will  give  us  more  people,  more 
resources,  more  treasure,  more  force,  with  less  debt.  Our 
national  character  will  stand  high  for  moderation  and  jus- 
tice ;  our  own  citizens,  and  foreign  nations,  will  entertain 
but  one  opinion  on  the  subject ;  and  we  can  then  confi- 
dently appeal  to  that  great  and  good  Being,  who  holds  in 
his  hands  the  destiny  of  nations,  to  smile  upon  our  cause. 
But,  if  in  the  inscrutable  decrees  of  His  providence  it  is  or- 
dained that  we  must  perish,  we  will  at  least  fall  with  dignity, 
and  maintain  our  character  when  we  lose  our  existence. 


1823. 


"  On  Thursday,  May  8tli,  1823,  was  held  at  the  City  Hotel, 
New  York,  the  Seventh  Anniversary  of  the  American  Bible  So- 
ciety. The  Hon.  John  Jay,  President  of  the  Society,  by  reason 
of  his  advanced  age  and  infirmity,  not  being  able  to  be  present, 
the  chair  was  taken  by  Gen.  Matthew  Clarkson,  senior  Vice 
President,  who  was  supported  by  the  Hon.  De  Witt  Clinton  and 
Richard  Varick,  Esq.,  Vice  Presidents." 

Such  was  the  announcement  at  the  commencement  of  the  Re- 
port of  proceedings  of  the  Seventh  Anniversary  of  the  American 
Bible  Society.  The  venerable  and  distinguished  men,  alike  the 
pride  and  the  ornament  of  the  State  of  New  York,  who  then 
constituted  its  officers,  and  who  are  named  above,  have  all  gone 
to  their  rest ;  but  their  names  will  be  remembered  while  liter- 
ature and  law,  philosophy  and  religion,  have  their  votaries 
among  us. 

The  aged  and  honored  President  sent  a  written  address  to  the 
Society,  which  was  read  by  the  Rev.  James  Milnor,  D.D.,  then 
the  Secretary  for  Foreign  Correspondence  ;  and  who  has  also 
joined  the  great  company  of  the  redeemed,  and  whose  name  is 
associated  with  almost  all  the  enterprises  of  benevolence  in  the 
land ;  and  who,  by  his  talents  and  his  exalted  Christian  charac- 
ter, commanded  the  respect  and  received  the  afifection  of  all 
who  knew  him. 

On  this  occasion  De  Witt  Clinton  delivered  the  following 
Address : 


298  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

When  I  had  the  satisfaction  to  attend,  some  years  since, 
an  Anniversary  Meeting  of  this  Society,  it  was  honored,  I 
beheve  for  the  last  time,  by  the  presence  of  its  venerable 
President,  who  has  been  since  numbered  among  the  illus- 
trious dead.  His  mortal  remains  are  mouldering  in  the 
grave  ;  but  it  is  humbly  hoped  that  his  immortal  spirit  is  in 
heaven,  enjoying  the  rewards  of  a  well-spent  life,  the  com- 
munion of  saints  and  angels,  and  the  smiles  of  the  Almighty 
Father  of  the  universe.  His  worthy  successor  is,  I  learn 
with  deep  regret,  disabled  by  bodily  infirmity  from  attend- 
ing in  his  place,  but  he  has  favored  us  with  an  emanation 
from  his  highly-gifted  mind.  Like  his  predecessor,  he  was 
a  statesman  of  the  revolution,  and  has  rendered  eminent 
services  to  the  Republic.  After  a  life  devoted  to  patriot- 
ism, illuminated  by  talents,  and  distinguished  for  inde- 
pendence and  integrity,  he  has  dedicated  his  setting  sun 
to  the  diffusion  of  the  light  of  the  Gospel,  and  has  given 
all  the  weight  of  his  elevated  character  to  the  support  of 
an  Institution,  which  embraces  within  its  purview  the 
highest  interest  of  the  human  race.  He  too,  will,  in  the 
course  of  nature,  follow,  ere  long,  his  distinguished  prede- 
cessor. Let  us  render  him,  when  living,  the  honors  due 
to  his  high  office  in  this  Institution — to  his  exalted  merit — 
to  the  purity  of  his  private,  and  the  usefulness  of  his  pubhc 
life :  And  under  this  impression  I  have  the  honor  to  pro- 
pose the  following  resolution  : — 

"  Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  the  Society  be  given  to  the  Presi- 
dent, for  the  address  with  which  he  has  favored  the  Society  on  the 
present  occasion,  and  for  the  lively  interest  which  he  manifests  in  its 
prosperity  and  success." 


AMERICAN    BIBLE    SOCIETY.  299 

On  this  occasion,  and  as  intimately  connected  with  this 
subject,  I  shall  endeavor,  with  great  diffidence,  to  illustrate 
the  principles,  enforce  the  objects,  and  elucidate  the  merits 
of  associations  established  for  diffiising  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures. If  it  be  admitted  that  the  Bible  is  a  revelation 
from  God,  intended  for  the  benefit  of  man  in  this  world, 
and  for  his  happiness  in  a  future  state,  it  follows,  as  an  in- 
evitable corollary,  that  its  extensive  circulation  is  a  duty 
of  the  most  imperative  nature,  and  an  interest  of  the  high- 
est character.  However  the  various  members  of  the 
Christian  community  may  differ  about  doctrine  or  dis- 
cipline, they  must  all,  notwithstanding,  recognize  the  di- 
vine origin,  and  the  sacred  character  of  the  Bible  ;  like  the 
radii  of  a  circle,  they  must  all  emanate  from  a  common 
center,  and  all  terminate  in  the  same  periphery. 

As  this  place  is  neutral  ground,  on  which  all  the  con- 
tending sects  of  Christendom  may  assemble  in  peace,  for 
the  purpose  of  diffusing  with  pious  zeal  the  knowledge  of 
the  Holy  Scriptures,  and  of  promoting,  with  concentrated 
effort,  the  great  cause  of  religion,  how  deeply  is  it  to  be 
regretted  that  different  views  should  be  taken  of  this  sub- 
ject, and  that  controversy  should  be  excited  as  to  the  dis- 
pensation of  the  highest  charity.  For  alas!  it  has  been 
contended  that  the  Revelation  of  God  to  man  should  be 
modified  or  restrained  by  human  agency.  While  this  op- 
position proceeds  from  quarters  entitled  to  the  highest 
respect,  and  is  enforced  by  the  most  ingenious  appeals  to 
sectarian  feeling,  to  the  passions  and  the  imagination,  it  is 
our  incumbent  duty  to  resist  all  attempts  to  intercept  the 
light  of  heaven  from  striking  the  earth.  In  maintaining 
the  preeminent  merits  of  Bible  Societies,  let  us  not,  how- 
ever,  lose  sight  of  that  charity  which  is  the  brightest 


300  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

ornament  of  the  Christian  character  ;  and  let  us  not  min- 
gle acrimonious  imputations  in  our  vindication  of  a  great 
and  glorious  cause.  The  citadel  of  benevolence  and 
Christian  charity  may  be  defended  without  the  use  of 
poisoned  weapons,  and  we  may  refute  the  arguments 
without  impeaching  the  motives  or  wounding  the  feelings 
of  our  opponents.  And  let  it  be  indelibly  impressed  on 
our  minds,  that  the  errors  of  wise  men  are,  at  least,  en- 
titled to  sympathy,  and  that  even  the  obliquities  of  good 
men  incline  towards  heaven. 

Whatever  glosses  may  be  thrown  on  this  subject,  and 
whatever  disguises  may  be  adopted,  it  is  obvious  that  the 
opposition  must  finally  entrench  itself  in  the  obsolete  ex- 
ploded doctrine  of  the  danger  of  illuminating  mankind. 
And  no  person  can  take  this  ground  without  entertaining 
erroneous  views  of  the  fabric  of  human  society  and  of  the 
high  destinies  of  religion.  In  its  full  latitude  and  unquali- 
fied extent,  it  compels  us  to  consider  the  ruler  every  thing 
and  the  people  nothing,  and  to  substitute  the  exposition  of 
the  priest  for  the  will  of  the  Deity.  As  ignorance  is  the 
patron  of  error  and  the  enemy  of  truth,  the  diffusion  of 
knowledge  is  friendly  to  the  propagation  of  religion  and 
the  ascendancy  of  good  government.  If  it  teach  man  his 
rights,  it  also  teaches  him  his  duties.  "  Truth  and  good- 
ness," said  an  illustrious  philosopher,  "  differs  but  as  the 
seal  and  the  print ;  for  truth  prints  goodness,  and  they  be 
the  clouds  of  error  which  descend  in  the  storms  of  pas- 
sions and  perturbations." 

To  deny  the  full  benefit  of  the  Scriptures,  in  the  most 
unlimited  and  unsophisticated  shape,  to  all  the  family  of 
mankind,  is  to  assume  the  ground  of  our  incapacity  for  the 
full  reception  of  the  revealed  will  of  heaven ;    and  the 


AMERICAN    BIBLE    SOCIETY.  301 

whole  assumption  is  predicated  on  the  most  untenable  pre- 
mises. If  the  Almighty,  in  the  plenitude  of  his  goodness, 
has  graciously  condescended  to  promulgate  his  will  to  the 
human  race,  we  cannot  deny  our  capacity  to  understand 
the  revelation  without  charging  Divine  Providence  wdth 
an  useless  dispensation.  And  if  we  take  refuge  in  the 
pale  of  sectarian  pretensions,  and  insist  that  the  light  of 
the  Gospel  shall  only  reach  us  through  the  refracting 
medium  of  human  illustration,  is  not  this  a  virtual  aban- 
donment of  the  controversy  ?  The  Deity,  in  declaring  his 
will,  announced  that  man  was  able  to  receive,  and  ought 
to  enjoy  the  full  benefit  of  the  revelation.  And  in  con- 
tending that  it  must  be  conveyed  in  an  exclusive  channel, 
or  only  through  certain  selected  organs,  we  fully  concede 
that  human  nature  may  be  rendered  a  fit  depository  as 
well  as  channel  of  divine  truth.  And  to  borrow  the  lan- 
guage of  a  great  philosopher,  "  to  say  that  a  blind  custom 
of  obedience  should  be  a  surer  obligation  than  duty  taught 
and  understood,  is  to  affirm  that  a  blind  man  may  tread 
surer  by  a  guide,  than  a  seeing  man  can  by  a  light." 
Within  this  narrow  compass  is  comprised  the  whole  phi- 
losophy of  the  debate. 

I  believe  that  it  is  not  generally  understood  that  human 
reason  cannot  in  itself  furnish  certain  demonstration  of  a 
future  state.  The  aspirations  of  the  soul  after  im- 
mortality— the  general  impressions  of  mankind — the  con- 
stitution of  the  human  mind,  and  the  benign  attributes  of 
the  Deity,  render  it  highly  probable  that  our  existence  is 
not  bounded  by  the  narrow  limits  of  this  world.  But  it  is 
well  known  that  every  link  in  this  concatenation  of  rea- 
soning, every  circumstance  in  this  enumeration  of  consid- 
eration has  been  assailed  with  no  inconsiderable  force. 


302  DE    WITT    CLINTOW. 

And  it  must  be  admitted  that  the  highest  efforts  of  the 
human  mind  have  been  unable  to  afford  suitable  and  dis- 
tinct views  of  our  mode  of  existence  in  a  future  state. 
Even  the  end  of  our  creation  has  been  the  subject  of 
doubt   and   debate :    and  the  powers  of  philosophy,  the 
fictions  of  mythology,  and  the  subtilties  of  metaphysics 
have  been  unsuccessfully  .employed  in  dispelling  the  clouds 
and  darkness  that  rested  for  ages  over  the  destinies  of 
mankind.     Some  have  supposed  that  this  world  was  cre- 
ated  to   punish  man  for  the  sins  committed  in  a  pre- 
existent  state.     Others  have  imagined  that  it  sprung  from 
a  fortuitous  concourse  of  atoms,  or  an  infinite  series  of 
causes,  and  that  man  is  the  creature  of  chance,  has  no 
fixed  destination,  and  will  experience  the  fate  of  other 
organic  matter.     Some  have  considered  him  as  created  to 
afford   amusement   to  superior  beings,  and   to  be    "  the 
standing  jest  of  heaven,"  while  others  have   contended 
that  his  existence  is  essential  to  complete  the  series  of 
created  substances,  and  to  supply  a  necessary  link  in  the 
chain  of  being. 

If  the  end  and  aim  of  our  being  in  this  world  have  ap- 
peared so  obscure  to  the  benighted  vision  of  human  reason, 
what  may  we  not  expect  from  its  views  of  a  future  state  ? 
The  most  sublime  flights  of  poetry,  and  the  most  profound 
elaborations  of  philosophy  have  altogether  failed  in  fur- 
nishing luminous,  distinct,  and  cheering  prospects  of 
immortality.  The  most  alluring  views  of  heaven  were 
entirely  derived  from  the  earth  ;  and  the  final  allotment  of 
the  virtuous  was  only  a  transit  from  this  world  to  a  ma- 
terial paradise. 

Some  safer  world  in  depth  of  woods  embrac'd, 
Some  happier  island  in  the  wat'ry  waste. 


AMERICAN    BIBLE    SOCIETY.  303 

In  the  bowers  of  bliss  ;  in  the  gardens  of  dehght ;  in  the 
fields  of  Elysium  ;  in  the  seats  of  the  illustrious  and  beati- 
fied dead,  there  was  always  a  retrospective  longing,  linger- 
ing look,  at  the  superior  fascinations  of  this  world.  The 
great  epic  bard  of  Rome,  after  he  had  exhausted  the 
powers  of  his  creative  mind  in  describing  the  delights  of 
the  Elysian  Fields,  asserts  the  return  of  the  souls  of  the 
departed  to  this  world,  in  order  to  reanimate  other  bodies. 
And  the  father  of  heroic  poetry,  "  whose  magic  muse 
soared  to  the  topmost  heaven  of  gandeur,"  describes  his 
heroes  as  dissatisfied  with  their  portion  in  the  regions  of 
blessedness.  When  Ulysses  congratulates  Achilles  on  his 
supremacy  over  the  mighty  dead,  the  latter  indignantly 
exclaims,  that  he  would  rather  be  a  servile  hind,  and  ea^ 
the  bread  of  poverty  on  earth,  than  exercise  imperial  au- 
thority over  all  the  Shades. 

Whole  nations  were  ignorant  of  a  future  state  ;  and 
others  had  but  feeble  glimmerings  of  light  on  this  subject. 
The  ancient  philosophers  were  divided  in  their  views. 
Many  of  them  utterly  discredited,  and  some  openly  ridi- 
culed an  hereafter.  The  consequences  of  this  state  of 
things  were  in  every  respect  most  deplorable  :  they  were 
felt  in  every  vein  and  artery  of  social  combination,  and  in 
every  aspect  and  conformation  of  conduct  and  character. 
The  ancients,  who  disbelieved  in  a  future  state,  were  utterly 
unable  to  account  for  the  moral  phenomena  of  this  world. 
When  they  considered  the  events  and  vicissitudes  of  life — 
when  they  beheld  the  accumulation  of  laurels  on  the  brow 
of  the  tyrant,  the  oppressor  rolling  in  affluence,  and  the 
murderer  defying  punishment — when  they  perceived  the 
wise  and  the  virtuous  shrouded  in  obscurity  and  over- 
whelmed with  calamity — when  they  saw  Cato  driven  to 


304  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

suicide,  Socrates  to  hemlock,  an  Aristides  in  exile,  and 
heard  the  dying  Brutus  exclaim,  that  virtue  was  an  empty 
name — in  what  a  dreadful  position  did  they  stand?  A 
knowledge  of  a  future  world  would  have  elucidated  all  in- 
congruities, solved  all  doubts,  dispelled  all  darkness.  They 
sometimes,  indeed,  endeavored  to  vindicate  the  ways  of 
God  to  man,  by  alleging  that  in  this  sublunary  state  virtue 
was  its  own  reward ;  that  vice  was  attended  by  an  appro- 
priate punishment,  and  that  a  man's  enormities  were  at 
least  visited  on  his  posterity ;  and  when  forced  from  the 
full  extent  of  their  positions  by  the  testimony  of  daily  ex- 
perience, they  took  refuge  in  atheism,  or  inculcated  that 
the  Deity  had  no  agency  in  the  concerns  of  this  world,  or 
adopted  the  system  of  polytheism,  and  believed  in 

Gods  partial,  changeful,  passionate,  unjust ; 
Whose  attributes  were  rage,  revenge,  or  lust. 

In  this  state  of  moral  darkness,  Jesus  Christ  appeared, 
pointing  out  the  way  to  heaven,  and  shedding  light  over 
the  world.  What  was  before  uncertain  he  rendered  cer- 
tain :  for  to  adopt  the  words  of  the  great  apostle,  "he  hath 
abolished  death,  and  hath  brought  life  and  immortality  to 
Ught  through  the  Gospel."  And  herein  consists  a  charac- 
teristic feature  and  a  peculiar  excellence  of  the  Christian 
dispensation.  It  lifted  the  vail  which  concealed  futurity 
from  view,  and  that  separated  time  from  eternity  ;  and  it 
afforded  clear  demonstrations  of  the  life  to  come.  All  doubts 
on  this  subject  have  vanished,  for  a  belief  in  the  Chistian 
religion  is  utterly  incompatible  with  a  disbelief  of  a  future 
state.  Christianity  not  only  ascertains  its  existence,  but 
points  out  our  destinies  in  it.  Instead  of  the  sensual  enjoy- 
ments of  a  Mahometan  Paradise — instead  of  the  Elysian 


AMERICAN    BIBLE    SOCIETY.  305 

Fields  of  Pagan  superstition,  or  the  transmigrations  of  the 
Metempsychosis,  "  our  minds  are  lifted  up  from  the  dun- 
geon of  the  body  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  divine  essence 
of  the  Almighty,"  and  we  are  endowed  with 

Perfections  absolute,  graces  divine, 
And  amplitade  of  mind  to  greatest  deeds. 

Christianity  may  be  contemplated  in  two  important 
aspects.  First,  in  reference  to  its  influence  on  this  world  ; 
and  secondly,  in  reference  to  our  destiny  in  the  world  to 
come.  And  whatever  may  be  intimated  to  the  contrary  by 
the  sneers  of  infidelity,  or  the  cavils  of  scepticism,  it  may 
be  asserted  boldly,  and  can  be  demonstrated  conclusively, 
that  to  its  celestial  influence  we  are  indebted  for  the  bless- 
ings of  civilization,  the  elevation  of  the  female  character, 
the  enjoyment  of  domestic  happiness,  the  successful 
cultivation  of  knowledge,  the  establishment  of  free  go- 
vernment, and  the  dominion  of  good  order  and  peace, 
wherever  they  prevail  in  the  great  communities  of  man- 
kind. 

Had  I  the  time  and  the  talent,  I  would  proceed  with 
pleasure  to  establish  these  positions  ;  but  restricted  as  I  am 
in  both  respects,  I  can  only  glance  at  some  of  the  leading 
topics. 

We  are  governed  by  our  hopes  and  our  fears — by  the 
desire  of  happiness  and  the  dread  of  misery.  The  laws 
which  regulate  our  conduct,  are  the  laws  of  man,  and  the 
laws  of  God.  To  which  may  be  added,  as  exercising  a 
strong  influence,  and  in  many  instances,  a  controlling 
power  over  our  actions,  an  anxious  desire  to  acquire  the 
good  will,  and  to  avoid  the  contempt  of  our  fellow  crea- 
tures by  a  conformity  to  the  general  sense  of  right  and 
wrong.  This  is  denominated  by  Mr.  Locke  the  law  of 
opinion.     The  sanctions  of  laws,  in  order  to  be  complete, 

20 


306  I>E    WITT    CLINTON. 

ought  to  comprise  rewards  as  well  as  punishments.  The 
inefficacy  of  human  laws  for  their  intended  objects,  is 
palpable  from  the  daily  operations  of  society,  and  the  ac- 
cumulated experience  of  ages.  Secret  crimes  are  of  course 
unpunished  ;  and  how  many  of  the  guilty  escape  from  the 
want  of  testimony — from  casualties — and  from  the  imper- 
fect or  perverse  dispensation  of  justice  and  mercy :  and 
there  are  many  aberrations  from  virtue  which  do  not 
come  within  the  cognizance  or  the  policy  of  human  legis- 
lation. Violations  of  what  are  termed  the  duties  of  im- 
perfect obligation  answer  to  this  description.  Ingratitude 
— infidelity  in  friendship — the  want  of  charity — an  infrac- 
tion of  hospitality — are  not  punished  by  the  tribunals  of 
men.  And  deeds  of  the  most  dangerous  character,  which 
strike  at  the  very  foundation  of  private  happiness  and 
public  prosperity,  are  sometimes  not  considered  criminal. 
Lying  and  adultery,  for  instance,  escape  with  impunity. 
The  complex  machinery  of  government,  the  arduous  ad- 
ministration of  justice,  and  the  embarrassment  and  dif- 
ficulties w^hich  surround  the  operations  of  legislation,  fre- 
quently produce  crimes  peculiar  to  the  social  combinations 
of  man,  and  generate  evils  unknown  in  a  state  of  nature. 
But  in  addition  to  these  considerations,  it  may  be  remarked, 
that  the  innocent  are  frequently  punished  instead  of  the 
guilty,  and  that  human  laws  are  entirely  destitute  of  the 
sanction  of  rewards.  To  confer  honors  for  obedience 
would  be  as  ridiculous  as  unavailing.  The  honor  of  many 
would  resolve  itself  into  the  honor  of  none.  To  dispense 
pecuniary  rewards  would  be  nugatory  or  impracticable. 
In  an  unqualified  extent,  no  government  would  be  able  to 
supply  the  funds ;  and  even  in  a  restricted  form,  its  opera- 
tion would   be    to  receive  money  with   one  hand   as   a 


AMERICAN    BIBLE    SOCIETY.  307 

premium,  and  to  pay  it  back  with  the  other  in  the  shape 
of  a  tax. 

The  efficacy  of  the  law  of  opinion  is  also  limited,  and 
has  all  the  imperfections  attached  to  humanity.  It  cannot 
reach  those  who  are  hardened  in  infamy  and  plunged  in 
iniquity  ;  and  its  sanctions  do  not  extend  beyond  the  limits 
of  this  world.  Hypocrisy  braves  its  denunciations  ;  ex- 
alted rank  and  great  opulence  feel,  in  some  degree,  supe- 
rior to  its  terrors ;  and  the  stoic  in  his  apathy,  the  anchor- 
ite in  his  seclusion,  and  the  misanthrope  in  his  hatred,  look 
with  ineffable  contempt  on  the  men  and  the  things  of  this 
world.  And  to  this  it  may  be  added  that  the  law  of  opin- 
ion does  not  always  present  an  immutable  standard  of 
virtue,  and  an  unnerring  criterion  of  excellence  ;  but  some- 
times connives  at  departures  from  the  rules  of  morality. 
•  The  sanctions  of  the  Divine  law  supply  all  these  defi- 
ciencies, cover  the  whole  area  of  human  action,  reach 
every  case,  punish  every  sin,  and  recompense  every  vir- 
tue. Its  rewards  and  its  punishments  are  graduated  with 
perfect  justice;  and  its  appeals  to  the  hopes  and  fears  of  man 
are  of  the  most  potent  character  and  transcendant  influence. 

The  codes  of  men  and  the  laws  of  opinion  derive  a  great 
portion  of  their  weight  from  the  influence  of  a  future 
world.  Justice  cannot  be  administered  without  the  sanc- 
tity of  truth ;  and  the  great  security  against  perjury  is  the 
amenability  of  another  state.  The  sanctions  of  religion 
compose  the  foundations  of  good  government ;  and  the 
ethics,  doctrines,  and  examples  furnished  by  Christianity 
exhibit  the  best  models  for  the  laws  of  opinion. 

The  imperfect  views  which  the  Pagan  religion  afforded 
of  futurity,  had,  notwithstanding,  considerable  influence  on 
the  interests  of  mankind.  Herodotus  represents  the  peo- 
ple called  the  immortal  Getae,  on  account  of  their  belief  in 


308  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

a  future  state,  as  the  bravest  and  most  upright  of  the 
Thracian  nations.  And  Juvenal  ascribes  the  horrible  de- 
pravity of  the  age  to  the  reigning  infidelity  which  had  ex- 
ploded from  the  public  creed  the  Stygian  Lake,  and  other 
terrors  of  the  ancient  mythology. 

The  Christian  religion,  armed  with  power,  endowed 
with  light  fortified  by  truth,  and  revealed  by  God,  fore- 
told in  the  prophecies,  attested  by  miracles,  sealed  with 
the  blood  of  the  saints,  and  sublimed  by  the  morality  of 
Heaven,  is  thus  presented  to  man,  exhibiting  him  in  a  state 
of  probation,  and  enforcing  his  good  conduct  in  this  tran- 
sitory state  in  order  to  secure  his  felicity  iu  the  regions  of 
eternal  bliss.  It  places  what  Archimedes  wanted,  the 
lever  of  power  on  another  and  a  better  world,  and  con- 
trols all  the  operations  of  man  in  union  Avith  the  prescrip- 
tions of  Divine  love. 

Feeble  and  imperfect  as  this  view  is,  it  notwithstand- 
ing presents  powerfuil  inducements  to  encourage  your  ani- 
mated perseverance  and  redouble  exertions  in  the  cause  of 
philanthropy  and  religion.  Institutions  like  this  unite  in 
the  bonds  of  friendship  and  charity  all  their  cultivators, 
without  regard  to  kindred,  sect,  tongue,  or  nation.  In  this 
place  an  altar  is  erected  to  concord — peace  is  declared 
among  the  most  discordant  sects — and  the  parti-colored 
coat  of  Joseph  is  exchanged  for  the  seamless  garment  of 
Christ ;  and  in  such  a  holy  cause,  be  assured  that  the  vi- 
sitations of  Divine  approbation  will  attend  your  proceed- 
ings— that  opposition  will  prove  like  the  struggles  of  a 
river  with  the  ocean — and  that  although  mountains  of  so- 
phistry may  be  piled  on  mountains  of  invective,  like  Ossa 
on  Pelion,  yet  that  all  such  attempts  will  terminate  like 
the  fabled  wars  of  the  Titans,  and  can  never  prevail 
against  truth  and  Heaven. 


1809. 


The  cause  of  popular  education  was  ever  near  to  the  heart 
of  Mr.  Clinton.  He  was  an  early  friend  of  the  Free  Schools, 
and  was  President  of  the  Society,  and  delivered  the  following 
address  to  the  benefactors  and  friends  of  the  Society  in  the  city  of 
New  York,  on  the  11th  of  December,  1809.  The  occasion  was 
"  the  opening  of  that  Institution  in  their  new  and  spacious  build- 
ing." It  will  be  remembered  that  he  was  at  this  period  Mayor  of 
the  city  of  New  York.  In  connection  with  this  address,  it  may 
be  interesting  to  give  an  extract  from  the  last  Message  of  Gov. 
Clinton  to  the  Legislature,  1st  January,  1828.  In  the  following 
address,  and  in  the  message,  the  subject  of  classical  or  collegiate 
education  for  the  most  promising  and  talented  of  the  children  of 
poor  parents  is  considered  and  earnestly  recommended. 

Thus  in  his  Message,  he  says : — "  Permit  me  to  solicit  your  at- 
tention to  the  two  extremes  of  education, — the  highest  and  the  low- 
est ;  and  this  I  do  in  order  to  promote  the  cultivation  of  those  whom 
nature  has  gifted  with  genius,  but  to  whom  fortune  has  denied 
the  means  of  education.  Let  it  be  our  ambition  (and  no  ambi- 
tion can  be  more  laudable),  to  dispense  to  the  obscure,  the  poor, 
the  humble,  the  friendless,  and  the  distressed,  the  power  of  ris- 
ing to  usefulness  and  acquiring  distinction.  With  this  view, 
provision  ought  to  be  made  for  the  gratuitous  education  in  our 
Colleges  of  youth  eminent  for  the  talents  they  have  displayed, 
and  the  virtues  they  have  cultivated  in  the  subordinate  Semi- 


10  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

narics.  This  would  call  into  activity  all  the  facultip.a  of  genius  ; 
— all  the  efforts  of  industry,  all  the  incentives  to  ambition,  and 
all  the  motives  to  cnterprize — and  place  the  merits  of  transcend- 
ent intellect  on  a  level,  at  least,  with  the  factitious  claims  of 
fortune  and  ancestry." 

The  Free  Academy  in  the  city  of  New  York,  will  accomplish 
this  object.  The  following  is  the  Address  of  1809,  above  re- 
ferred to  : 

On  an  occasion  so  interesting  to  this  Institution,  when 
it  is  about  to  assume  a  more  respectable  shape,  and  to  ac- 
quire a  spacious  and  permanent  habitation,  it  is  no  more 
than  a  becoming  mark  of  attention  to  its  patrons,  bene- 
factors and  friends,  assembled  for  the  first  time  in  this 
place,  to  delineate  its  origin,  its  progress,  and  its  present 
situation.  The  station  which  I  occupy  in  this  Associa- 
tion, and  the  request  of  my  much  respected  colleagues, 
have  devolved  this  task  upon  me — a  task  which  I  should 
perform  with  unmingled  pleasure  if  my  avocations  had 
afforded  me  time  to  execute  it  with  fidelity.  And  I  trust 
that  the  humble  objects  of  your  bounty,  presented  this  day 
to  your  view,  will  not  detract  from  the  solemnity  of  the 
occasion — "  That  ambition  will  not  mock  our  useful  toil, 
nor  grandeur  hear  with  a  disdainful  smile  the  simple  an- 
nals of  the  poor." 

In  casting  a  view  over  the  civilized  world,  we  find  an 
universal  accordance  in  opinion  on  the  benefits  of  educa- 
tion ;  but  the  practical  exposition  of  this  opinion  exhibits  a 
deplorable  contrast.  While  magnificent  Colleges  and 
Universities  are  erected,  and  endowed,  and  dedicated  to 
hterature,  we  behold  few  liberal  appropriations  for  diffusing 


FREE    SCHOOLS.  311 

the  blessings  of  knowledge  among  all  descriptions  of  peo- 
ple. The  fundamental  error  of  Europe  has  been  to  con- 
fine the  light  of  knowledge  to  the  wealthy  and  the  great, 
while  the  humble  and  the  depressed  have  been  as  sedu- 
lously excluded  from  its  participation  as  the  wretched 
criminal,  immured  in  a  dungeon,  is  from  the  light  of  Hea- 
ven. This  cardinal  mistake  is  not  only  to  be  found  in  the 
institutions  of  the  old  world  and  in  the  condition  of  its  in- 
habitants, but  it  is  to  be  seen  in  most  of  the  books  which 
have  been  written  on  the  subject  of  education.  The  cele- 
brated Locke,  whose  treatises  on  government  and  the  hu- 
man understanding  have  covered  him  with  immortal  glo- 
ry, devoted  the  powers  of  his  mighty  intellect,  to  the  elu- 
cidation of  education — but  in  the  very  threshold  of  his 
book,  we  discover  this  radical  error — his  treatise  is  pro- 
fessedly intended  for  the  children  of  gentlemen.  "  If  those 
of  that  rank  (says  he),  are  by  their  education  once  set 
right,  they  will  quickly  bring  all  the  rest  in  order ;"  and 
he  appears  to  consider  the  education  of  other  children  as 
of  little  importance.  The  consequence  of  this  monstrous 
heresy  has  been,  that  ignorance,  the  prolific  parent  of 
every  crime  and  vice,  has  predominated  over  the  great 
body  of  the  people,  and  a  corresponding  moral  debasement 
has  prevailed.  "  Man  differs  more  from  man,  than  man 
from  beast,"*  says  a  writer,  once  celebrated.  This  re- 
mark, however  generally  false,  will  certainly  apply  with 
great  force  to  a  man  in  a  state  of  high  mental  cultivation, 
and  man  in  a  state  of  extreme  ignorance. 

This  view  of  human  nature  is  indeed  calculated  to  ex- 
cite the  most  painful  feelings ;  and  it  entirely  originates 
from  a  consideration  of  the  predominating  error  which  I 
have  exposed.     To  this  source  must  the  crimes  and  ca- 

*  Montaigne's  Essays. 


312  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

•amities  of  the  old  world  be  principally  imputed.  Igno- 
rance is  the  cause  as  well  as  the  effect  of  bad  govern- 
ments, and  without  the  cultivation  of  our  rational  powers, 
we  can  entertain  no  just  ideas  of  the  obligations  of  moral- 
ity or  the  excellencies  of  religion.  Although  England  is 
justly  renowned  for  its  cultivation  of  the  arts  and  sciences, 
and  although  the  poor  rates  of  that  country  exceed  five 
millions  sterling  per  annum,  yet  (I  adopt  the  words  of  an 
eminent  British  writer),  "there  is  no  Protestant  coun- 
try where  the  education  of  the  poor  has  been  so  gross- 
ly and  infamously  neglected  as  in  England."*  If  one- 
tenth  part  of  that  sum  had  been  applied  to  the  education 
of  the  poor,  the  blessings  of  order,  knowledge,  and  inno- 
cence would  have  been  diffused  among  them,  the  evil 
would  have  been  attacked  at  the  fountain  head,  and  a 
total  revolution  would  have  taken  place  in  the  habits  and 
lives  of  the  people,  favorable  to  the  cause  of  industry, 
good  morals,  good  order,  and  rational  religion. 

More  just  and  rational  views  have  been  entertained  on 
this  subject  in  the  United  States.  Here,  no  privileged  or- 
ders— no  factitious  distinctions  in  society — no  hereditary 
nobility — no  established  religion — no  royal  prerogatives 
exist,  to  interpose  barriers  between  the  people,  and  to  cre- 
ate distinct  classifications  in  society.  All  men  being  con- 
sidered as  enjoying  an  equality  of  rights,  the  propriety  and 
necessity  of  dispensing,  without  distinction,  the  blessings 
of  education,  followed  of  course.  In  New  England  the 
greatest  attention  has  been  invariably  given  to  this  impor- 
tant object.  In  Connecticut,  particularly,  the  schools  are 
supported  at  least  three-fourths  of  the  year  by  the  interest 
of  a  very  large  fund  created  for  that  purpose,  and  a  small 
tax  on  the  people  ;  the  whole  amounting  to  seventy-eight 

*  Edinburgh  Review. 


FKEE    SCHOOLS.  313 

thousand  dollars  per  annum.  The  result  of  this  beneficial 
arrangement  is  obvious  and  striking.  Our  Eastern  breth- 
ren are  a  well-informed  and  moral  people.  In  those 
States  it  is  as  uncommon  to  find  a  poor  man  who  cannot 
read  and  write,  as  it  is  rare  to  see  one  in  Europe  who  can. 

Pennsylvania  has  followed  the  noble  example  of  New 
England.  On  the  fourth  of  April  last,  a  law  was  passed 
in  that  State,  entitled  "  An  act  to  provide  for  the  educa- 
cation  of  the  poor,  gratis."  The  expense  of  educating 
them  is  made  a  county  charge,  and  the  county  commis- 
sioners are  directed  to  carry  the  law  into  execution. 

New  York  has  proceeded  in  the  same  career,  but  on  a 
different,  and  perhaps  more  eligible  plan.  For  a  few  years 
back,  a  fund  has  been  accumulating  with  great  celerity,  so- 
lemnly appropriated  to  the  support  of  common  schools. 
This  fund  consists  at  present  of  near  four  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars  in  bank  stock,  mortgages,  and  bonds;  and 
produces  an  annual  interest  of  upwards  of  twenty-four 
thousand  dollars.  The  capital  will  be  augmented  by  the 
accumulating  interest  and  the  sale  of  three  hundred  and 
thirty-six  thousand  acres  of  land.  When  the  interest  on 
the  whole  amounts  to  fifty  thousand  dollars,  it  will  be  in  a 
state  of  distribution.  It  is  highly  probable  that  the  whole 
fund  will,  in  a  few  years,  amount  to  twelve  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  dollars,  yielding  a  yearly  income  of  seventy- 
five  thousand  dollars.  If  population  is  taken  as  the  ratio 
of  distribution,  the  quota  of  this  city  will  amount  to  seven 
thousand  five  hundred  dollars,  a  sum  amply  sufficient  on 
the  plan  of  our  establishment,  if  judiciously  applied,  to  ac- 
commodate all  our  poor  with  a  gratuitous  education. 

On  a  comparison  of  the  plan  of  this  State  with  that  of 
Pennsylvania,  it  will  probably  be  found  that  we  are  enti- 


314  DE     WITT    CLINTON. 

tied  to  the  palm  of  superior  excellence.  Our  capital  is 
already  created,  and  nothing  more  is  requisite  than  a  judi- 
cious distribution — whereas  the  expense  of  school  esta- 
blishments  in  that  State,  is  to  be  satisfied  by  annual  bur- 
dens. The  people  of  Pennsylvania  are  therefore  interest- 
ed against  a  faithful  execution  of  the  plan,  because  the  less 
that  is  applied  to  education,  the  less  they  will  have  to  pay 
in  taxation.  Abuses  and  perversions  will  of  course  arise 
and  multiply  in  the  administration  of  the  public  bounty. 
And  the  laws  of  that  State  being  liable  to  alteration  or  re- 
peal, her  system  has  not  that  permanency  and  stability  to 
which  ours  can  lay  claim.  It  is  true  that  our  Legislature 
may  divert  this  fund,  but  it  would  justly  be  considered  a 
violation  of  public  faith,  and  a  measure  of  a  very  violent 
character.  As  long  as  the  public  sentiment  is  correct  in 
this  respect,  we  have  no  reason  to  apprehend  that  any 
Legislature  will  be  hardy  enough  to  encounter  the  odium 
of  their  constituents,  and  the  indignation  of  posterity. 
And  we  have  every  reason  to  believe,  that  this  great 
fund,  established  for  sinking  vice  and  ignorance,  will 
never  be  diverted  or  destroyed,  but  that  it  will  remain 
unimpaired,  and  in  full  force  and  vigor  to  the  latest 
posterity,  as  an  illustrious  establishment,  erected  by  the 
benevolence  of  the  State  for  the  propagation  of  knowledge, 
and  the  diffusion  of  virtue  among  the  people. 

A  number  of  benevolent  persons  had  seen,  with  con- 
cern, the  increasing  vices  of  this  city,  arising  in  a  great 
degree  from  the  neglected  education  of  the  poor.  Great 
cities  are  at  all  times  the  nurseries  and  hot-beds  of  crime. 
Bad  men  from  all  quarters  repair  to  them,  in  order  to  ob- 
tain the  benefit  of  concealment,  and  to  enjoy  in  a  superior 
degree  the  advantages  of  rapine  and  fraud.      And  the 


FRFR   SrTIOOT,g,  315 

dreadful  examples  of  vice,  which  are  presented  to  youth, 
and  the  alluring  forms  in  which  it  is  arrayed,  connected 
with  a  spirit  of  extravagance  and  luxury,  the  never-fail- 
ing attendant  of  great  wealth  and  extensive  business,  can- 
not fail  of  augmenting  the  mass  of  moral  depravity.  "  In 
London,  says  a  distinguished  writer  on  its  police,  above 
twenty  thousand  individuals  rise  every  morning,  without 
knowing  how,  or  by  what  means  they  are  to  be  supported 
through  the  passing  day,  and  in  many  instances  even 
where  they  are  to  lodge  on  the  ensuing  night."*  There 
can  be  no  doubt  that  hundreds  are  in  the  same  situation  in 
this  city,  prowling  about  our  streets  for  prey,  the  victims 
of  intemperance,  the  slaves  of  idleness,  and  ready  to  fall 
into  any  vice,  rather  than  to  cultivate  industry  and  good 
order.  How  can  it  be  expected  that  persons  so  careless 
of  themselves,  will  pay  any  attention  to  their  children  ? 
The  mendicant  parent  bequeaths  his  squalid  poverty  to 
his  offspring,  and  the  hardened  thief  transmits  a  legacy  of 
infamy  to  his  unfortunate  and  depraved  descendants.  In- 
stances have  occurred  of  little  children,  arraigned  at  the 
bar  of  our  criminal  courts,  who  have  been  derelict  and 
abandoned,  without  a  hand  to  protect,  or  a  voice  to  guide 
them  through  life.  When  interrogated  as  to  their  connec- 
tions, they  have  replied,  that  they  were  without  home  and 
without  friends.  In  this  state  of  turpitude  and  idleness, 
leading  lives  of  roving  mendicancy  and  petty  depredation ' 
they  existed  a  burden  and  a  disgrace  to  the  community. 

True  it  is,  that  Charity  Schools,  entitled  to  eminent 
praise,  were  established  in  this  city,  but  they  were  attach- 
ed to  particular  sects,  and  did  not  embrace  children  of  dif- 
ferent persuasions.     Add  to  this  that  some  denominations 

*  Colquhoun  on  Police  of  London. 


31 B  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

were  not  provided  with  those  establishments,  and  that 
children,  the  most  in  want  of  instruction,  were  necessa- 
rily, excluded,  by  the  irreligion  of  their  parents,  from  the 
benefit  of  education. 

After  a  full  view  of  the  case,  those  persons  of  whom  I 
have  spoken,  agreed  that  the  evil  must  be  corrected  at  its 
source,  and  that  education  was  the  sovereign  prescription. 
Under  this  impression,  they  petitioned  the  Legislature, 
who,  agreeably  to  their  application,  passed  a  law  on  the 
9th  of  April,  1805,  entitled,  "  An  Act  to  incorporate  the 
Society  instituted  in  the  city  of  New  York  for  the  Esta- 
blishment of  a  Free  School,  for  the  education  of  poor  chil- 
dren, who  do  not  belong  to,  or  are  not  provided  for,  by 
any  religious  society." — Thirteen  Trustees  were  elected 
under  this  Act,  on  the  first  Monday  of  the  ensuing  May, 
with  power  to  manage  the  aflfairs  of  the  Corporation.  On 
convening  together,  they  found  that  they  had  undertaken 
a  great  task,  and  encountered  an  important  responsibility ; 
without  funds,  without  teachers,  without  a  house  in  which  to 
instruct,  and  without  a  system  of  instruction;  and  that  their 
only  reliance  must  be  on  their  own  industry,  on  the  liberality 
of  the  public,  on  the  bounty  of  the  constituted  authoj  ities, 
and  on  the  smiles  of  the  Almighty  Dispenser  of  all  good. 

In  the  year  1798,  an  obscure  man  of  the  name  of  Joseph 
Lancaster,  possessed  of  an  original  genius  and  a  most  saga- 
cious mind,  and  animated  by  a  sublime  benevolence,  de- 
voted himself  to  the  education  of  the  poor  of  Great-Britain, 
Wherever  he  turned  his  eyes,  he  saw  the  deplorable  state 
to  which  they  were  reduced  by  the  prevalence  of  igno- 
rance and  vice.  He  first  planted  his  standard  of  charity 
in  the  city  of  London,  where  it  was  calculated  that  forty 
thousand  children  were  left  as  destitute  of  instruction  as 


FREE  SCHOOLS.  317 

the  savages  of  the  desert.  And  he  proceeded  by  degrees, 
to  form  and  perfect  a  system,  which  is  in  education  what 
the  most  finished  machines  for  abridging  labor  and  ex- 
pense are  in  the  mechanic  arts. 

It  comprehends  reading,  writing,  arithmetic,  and  the 
knowledge  of  the  Holy  Scriptures.  It  arrives  at  its  ob- 
ject with  the  least  possible  trouble  and  at  the  least  possi- 
ble expense.  Its  distinguishing  characters  are  economy, 
facility,  and  expedition,  and  its  peculiar  improvements  are 
cheapness, tfictivity,  order,  and  emulation.  It  is  impossi- 
ble on  this  occasion  to  give  a  detailed  view  of  the  system. 
For  this  I  refer  you  to  a  publication  entitled,  "  Improve- 
ments in  Education,  &c.,  by  Joseph  Lancaster,"  and  for 
its  practical  exposition,  I  beg  you  to  look  at  the  operations 
of  this  seminary.  Reading  in  all  its  processes,  from  the 
alphabet  upwards,  is  taught  at  the  same  time  with  writing, 
commencing  with  sand,  proceeding  to  the  slate,  and  from 
thence  to  the  copy-book.  And  to  borrow  a  most  just  and 
striking  remark,  "  The  beauty  of  the  system  is,  that  noth- 
ing is  trusted  to  the  boy  himself — he  does  not  only  repeat 
the  lesson  before  a  superior,  but  he  learns  before  a  supe- 
rior."* Solitary  study  does  not  exist  in  the  establish- 
ment. The  children  are  taught  in  companies.  Constant 
habits  of  attention  and  vigilance  are  formed,  and  an 
ardent  spirit  of  emulation  kept  continually  alive.  Instruc- 
tion is  performed  through  the  instrumentality  of  the 
scholars.  The  school  is  divided  into  classes  of  ten,  and 
a  chief,  denominated  a  Monitor,  is  appointed  over  each 
class,  who  exercises  a  didactic  and  supervisional  authority. 
The  discipline  of  the  school  is  enforced  by  shame,  rather 
than   by  the   infliction   of  pain.     The   punishments   are 

*  Edinburgh  Review. 


318  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

varied  with  circumstances  ;  and  a  judicious  distribution  of 
rewards,  calculated  to  engage  the  infant  mind  in  the  dis- 
charge of  its  duty,  forms  the  keystone  which  binds  toge- 
ther the  whole  edifice. 

Upon  this  system,  Lancaster  superintended  in  person  a 
school  of  one  thousand  scholars,  at  an  annual  expense  of 
three  hundred  pounds  sterling.  In  1806,  he  proposed,  by 
establishing  twenty  or  thirty  schools  in  different  parts  of 
the  kingdom,  to  educate  ten  thousand  poor  children,  at 
four  shillings  per  annum  each.  This  proposition  has  been 
carried  into  effect,  and  he  has  succeeded  in  establishing 
twenty  schools  in  different  parts  of  the  kingdom,  all  of 
which  are  under  the  care  of  teachers,  educated  by  him' 
few  of  whom  are  more  than  eighteen  years  old.  Several 
of  the  schools  have  each  about  three  hundred  scholars — 
that  at  Manchester  has  four  hundred — his  great  school  in 
Borough-Road,  London,  flourishes  very  much — it  has 
sometimes  eleven  hundred  children — seldom  less  than 
one  thousand. 

When  I  perceive  that  many  boys  in  our  school  have 
been  taught  to  read  and  write  in  two  months,  who  did  not 
before  know  the  Alphabet,  and  that  even  one  has  accom- 
plished it  in  three  weeks — when  I  view  all  the  bearings 
and  tendencies  of  this  system — when  I  contemplate  the 
habits  of  order  which  it  forms,  the  spirit  of  emulation 
which  it  excites — the  rapid  improvement  which  it  pro- 
duces— the  purity  of  morals  which  it  inculcates — when  I 
behold  the  extraordinary  union  of  celerity  in  instruction, 
and  economy  of  expense — and  when  I  perceive  one  great 
assembly  of  a  thousand  children,  under  the  eye  of  a  single 
teacher,  marching  with  unexampled  rapidity,  and  with 
perfect  discipline,  to  the  goal  of  knowledge,  I  confess  that 


FREE    SHOOLS.  319 

I  recognize  in  Lancaster,  the  benefactor  of  the  human 
race — I  consider  his  system  as  creating  a  new  era  in  edu- 
cation, as  a  blessing  sent  down  from  Heaven  to  redeem 
the  poor  and  distressed  of  this  world  from  the  power  and 
dominion  of  ignorance. 

Although  the  merits  of  this  apostle  of  benevolence  have 
been  generally  acknowledged  in  his  own  country,  and  he 
has  received  the  countenance  and  protection  of  the  first 
men  in  Great  Britain,  yet  calumny  has  lifted  up  her  voice 
against  him,  and  attempts  have  been  made  to  rob  him  of 
his  laurels.  Danger  to  the  Established  Church  and  to 
Government,  has  been  apprehended  from  his  endeavors  to 
pour  light  upon  mankind.  This  insinuation  has  been 
abundantly  repelled  by  the  tenor  of  his  liie — his  carefully 
steering  clear  in  his  instructions  of  any  peculiar  creed,  and 
his  confining  himself  to  the  general  truths  of  Christianity. 
"  I  have,"  says  Lancaster,  "  been  eight  years  engaged  in 
the  benevolent  work  of  superintending  the  education  of 
the  poor.  I  have  had  three  thousand  children,  who  owe 
their  education  to  me,  some  of  whom  have  left  school, 
are  apprenticed  or  in  place,  and  are  going  on  well.  I 
have  had  great  influence  with  both  parents  and  children, 
among  whom  there  is,  nevertheless,  no  one  instance  of  a 
convert  to  my  religious  profession."  That  knowledge  is 
the  parent  of  sedition  and  insurrection,  and  that  in  pro- 
portion as  the  public  mind  is  illuminated,  the  principles  of 
anarchy  are  disseminated,  is  a  proposition  that  can  never 
admit  of  debate,  at  least  in  this  country. 

But  Lancaster  has  also  been  accused  of  arrogating  to 
himself  surreptitious  honors,  and  attempts  have  been 
made  to  transfer  the  entire  merit  of  his  great  discovery  to 
Dr.  Bell.     Whatever  he  borrowed  from  that  gentleman, 


320  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

he  has  candidly  acknowledged.  The  use  of  sand'in  teach- 
ing, undoubtedly  came  to  him  through  that  channel,  but  it 
has  been  practised  for  ages  by  the  Brahmins.  He  may 
also  be  indebted  to  Bell  for  some  other  improvements,  but 
the  vital  leading  principles  of  his  system,  are  emphatically 
an  original  discovery. 

The  trustees  of  this  institution,  after  due  deliberation, 
did  not  hesitate  to  adopt  the  system  of  Lancaster,  and  in 
carrying  it  into  effect,  they  derived  essential  aid  from  one 
of  their  body,  who  had  seen  it  practised  in  England,  and 
who  had  had  personal  communication  with  its  author. 
A  teacher  was  also  selected  who  has  fully  answered 
every  reasonable  expectation.  He  has  generally  fol- 
lowed the  prescribed  plan.  Wherever  he  has  deviated, 
he  has  improved.  A  more  numerous,  a  better  governed 
school,  affording  equal  facilities  to  improvement,  is  not  to 
be  found  in  the  United  States. 

Provided  thus  with  an  excellent  system  and  an  able 
teacher,  the  school  was  opened  on  the  6th  of  May,  1806, 
in  a  small  apartment  in  Bancker  street.  This  was  the 
first  scion  of  the  Lancaster  stock  engrafted  in  the  United 
States  ;  and  from  this  humble  beginning,  in  the  course  of 
little  more  than  three  years,  you  all  observe  the  rapidity 
with  which  we  have  ascended. 

One  great  desideratum  still  remained  to  be  supplied. 
Without  sufficient  funds,  nothing  could  be  efficiently 
done.  Animated  appeals  were  made  to  the  bounty  of  our 
citizens,  and  five  thousand  six  hundred  and  forty-eight 
dollars  were  collected  by  subscription.  Application  was 
also  made  to  the  Legislature  of  this  State  for  assistance, 
and  on  the  27th  of  February,  1807,  a  law  was  passed,  ap- 
propriating  four   thousand  dollars,  for  the  "purpose  of 


FREE    SCHOOLS.  321 

erecting  a  suitable  building,  or  buildings,  for  the  instruc- 
tion of  poor  children,  and  every  year  thereafter,  the  sum 
of  one  thousand  dollars,  for  the  purpose  of  promoting  the 
benevolent  objects  of  the  Society."  The  preamble  of  this 
liberal  act  contains  a  legislative  declaration  of  the  excel- 
lence of  the  Lancaster  system,  in  the  following  words  : — 
"  Whereas  the  trustees  of  the  Society  for  establishing  a 
Free  School  in  the  city  of  New  York,  for  the  education 
of  such  poor  children  as  do  not  belong  to,  or  are  not  pro- 
vided for,  by  any  religious  society,  have,  by  their  memo- 
rial, solicited  the  aid  of  the  Legislature ;  and  whereas 
their  plan  of  extending  the  benefits  of  education  to  pooi- 
children,  and  the  excellent  mode  of  instruction  adopted 
by  them,  are  highly  deserving  of  the  encouragement  of 
Government." 

Application  was  also  made  to  the  Corporation  of  the 
city  for  assistance,  and  the  tenement  in  Bancker-street, 
being  in  all  respects  inadequate  to  the  accommodation  of 
the  increasing  establishment,  that  body  appropriated  a 
building  adjacent  to  the  Alms-house,  for  the  temporary 
accommodation  of  the  school,  and  the  sum  of  five  hun- 
dred dollars  towards  putting  it  in  repair;  the  Society 
agreeing  to  receive  and  educate  fifty  children  from  the 
Alms-house.  To  this  place  the  school  was  removed  on 
the  1st  of  May,  1807,  where  it  has  continued  until  to-day. 

The  Corporation  also  presented  the  ground  of  this  edi- 
fice, on  which  was  an  arsenal,  to  the  Society,  on  condi- 
tion of  their  educating  the  children  of  the  Alms-house  gra- 
tuitously ;  and  also  the  sum  of  fifteen  hundred  dollars,  to 
aid  in  the  completion  of  this  building.  The  value  of  this 
lot  and  the  old  building,  may  be  fairly  estimated  at  ten 
thousand  dollars ;  and  the  Society  have  expended  above 
21 


322  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

thirteen  thousand  dollars  in  the  erection  and  completion 
of  this  edifice  and  the  adjacent  buildings.  The  income  of 
the  school,  during  the  last  year,  has  been  about  sixteen 
hundred  dollars,  and  its  expense  did  not  much  differ  from 
that  sum.  This  room  will  contain  near  six  hundred 
scholars,  and  below  there  are  apartments  for  the  family  of 
the  teacher,  for  the  meeting  of  the  trustees,  and  for  a  fe- 
male school,  which  may  contain  one  hundred  scholars, 
and  may  be  considered  as  an  useful  adjunct  to  this  insti- 
tution. This  seminary  was  established  about  twelve  years 
ago,  by  a  number  of  young  women  belonging  to,  or  profess- 
ing with,  the  Society  of  Friends ;  who  have,  with  merito- 
rious zeal  and  exemplary  industry,  devoted  much  of  their 
personal  attention,  and  all  their  influence,  to  the  educa- 
tion of  poor  girls  in  the  elementary  parts  of  education  and 
needle-work.  The  signal  success  which  attended  this 
free-school  animated  the  trustees  with  a  desire  to  extend 
its  usefulness,  and  to  render  it  co-extensive  with  the  wants 
of  the  community,  and  commensurate  with  the  objects  of 
public  bounty.  A  statute  was  accordingly  passed,  on 
their  application,  on  the  1st  of  April,  1808,  altering  the 
style  of  this  corporation,  denominating  it  "  The  Free 
School  Society  of  New  York,"  and  extending  its  powers 
to  all  children  who  are  the  proper  objects  of  gratuitous 
education. 

From  this  elevation  of  prosperity  and  this  fruition  of 
philanthropy,  the  Society  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing 
that  the  wise  and  the  good  of  this,  and  the  neighboring 
States,  had  turned  their  attention  to  their  establishment. 
A  number  of  ladies  of  this  city,  distinguished  for  their 
consideration  in  society,  and  honored  and  respected  for 
their  undeviating  cultivation  of  the  charities  of  life,  esta- 


&R£fi  SCHOOLS.  §2g 

biished  a  society  for  the  very  humane,  charitable,  and  lau- 
dable purposes  of  protecting,  relieving,  and  instructing 
orphan  children.  This  institution  was  incorporated  on 
the  7th  of  April,  1807,  under  the  style  of  "The  Orphan 
Asylum  Society  in  the  City  of  New  York,"  and  at  a  sub- 
sequent period  the  Legislature,  under  a  full  conviction  of 
its  great  merits  and  claims  to  public  patronage,  made  a 
disposition  in  its  favor,  which  will,  in  process  of  time,  prO' 
duce  five  thousand  dollars. 

A  large  building,  fifty  feet  square  and  three  stories  high, 
has  been  erected  for  its  accommodation,  in  the  suburbs  of 
the  city,  and  it  now  contains  seventy  children,  who  are 
supported  by  the  zeal  and  benevolence  of  its  worthy  mem- 
bers, and  educated  on  the  plan  of  this  institution,  at  an 
annual  expense  of  two  thousand  dollars. 

An  economical  school,  whose  principal  object  is  the  in- 
struction of  the  children  of  the  Refugees  from  the  West 
Indies,  was  opened  some  time  since  in  this  city^  where,  in 
addition  to  the  elementary  parts  of  education,  Grammar, 
History,  Geography,  and  the  French  languagCj  are  taught. 
It  is  conducted  on  the  plan  of  Lancaster,  with  modifica- 
tions and  extensions,  and  is  patronized  and  cherished  by 
French  and  American  gentlemen,  of  great  worth  and  re- 
spectability, who  are  entitled  to  every  praise  for  their  be- 
nevolence.    Children  of  either  sex  are  admitted,  without 
distinction  of  nation,  religion,  or  fortune.     This  Seminary 
is  in  a  flourishing  condition,  and  contains  two  hundred 
scholars.     There  are  two  masters  in  this  Seminary,  and 
two  women  who  teach  needle-work,  and  there  is  a  print- 
ing-press, where  sUch  as  have  any  talents  in  that  way  are 
taught  that  important  art. 

We  have  also  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  benefits  of 


824  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

this  system  extended,  either  in  whole  or  in  part,  to  the 
Charity  Schools  of  the  Dutch,  Episcopal,  and  Methodist 
Churches,  and  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Rutger's- 
street ;  and  also  to  the  school  founded  by  the  Manumis- 
sion Society,  for  the  education  of  the  people  of  color ; 
which  has,  in  consequence  of  this  amelioration,  been  aug- 
mented from  seventy  to  one  hundred  and  thirty  children. 

In  Philadelphia,  the  same  laudable  spirit  has  been  mani- 
fested. Two  deputations  from  that  city  have  visited  us, 
for  the  express  purpose  of  examining  our  school.  One  of 
these  made  so  favorable  a  report  on  their  return,  that  a 
number  of  the  more  enterprising  and  benevolent  citizens, 
composed  of  members  belonging  to  the  Society  of  Friends, 
immediately  associated  under  the  name  of  the  "  Adelphi 
Society,"  and  raised,  by  private  subscription,  a  sum  suffi- 
cient to  purchase  a  suitable  lot  of  ground,  to  erect  a  hand- 
some two  story  brick  building,  seventy-five  feet  in  length, 
and  thirty-five  in  breadth,  in  which  they  formed  two  spa- 
cious rooms.  The  Adelphi  School  now  contains  two  hun- 
dred children,  under  the  care  of  one  teacher,  and  is  emi- 
nently prosperous.  The  other  deputation  made  also  a  fa- 
vorable report,  and  "  the  Philadelphia  Free  School  So- 
ciety," an  old  and  respectable  institution,  adopted,  in  con- 
sequence, our  system,  where  it  flourishes  beyond  expec- 
tation. 

Two  female  .schools,  one  called  the  "  Aimwell  School," 
in  Philadelphia,  and  another  in  Burlington,  New  Jersey, 
have  also  embraced  our  plan  with  equal  success. 

I  trust  that  I  shall  be  pardoned  for  this  detail.  The 
origin  and  progress  of  beneficial  discoveries  cannot  be  too 
minutely  specified  ;  and  when  their  diffusion  can  only  be 
exceeded  by  their  excellence,  we  have  peculiar  reason  to 


FREE  SCHOOLS.  325 

congratulate  the  friends  of  humanity.  This  prompt  and 
general  encouragement  is  honorable  to  our  national  char- 
acter, and  shows  conclusively  that  the  habits,  manners, 
and  opinions  of  the  American  people,  are  favorable  to  the 
reception  of  truth  and  the  propagation  of  knowledge.— 
And  no  earthly  consideration  could  induce  the  benevolent 
man,  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  what  we  see  this  day, 
to  exchange  his  feelings,  if  from  the  obscure  mansions  of 
indigence,  in  which,  in  all  human  probability  he  now  is, 
instilling  comfort  into  the  hearts,  and  infusing  knowledge 
into  the  minds  of  the  poor,  he  could  hear  the  voice  of  a 
great  and  enlightened  people  pronouncing  his  eulogium, 
and  see  this  parent  seminary,  and  the  establishments  which 
have  sprung  from  its  bosom,  diffusing  light,  imparting  joy, 
and  dispensing  virtue.  His  tree  of  knowledge  is  indeed 
transplanted  to  a  more  fertile  soil,  and  a  more  congenial 
clime.  It  has  flourished  with  uncommon  vigor  and  beauty 
— its  luxuriant  and  wide-spreading  branches  afford  shelter 
to  all  who  require  it — its  ambrosial  fragrance  fills  the  land 
— and  its  head  reaches  the  heavens  ! 

Far  be  it  from  my  intention  to  prevent  future  exertion. 
For  although  much  has  been  done,  yet  much  remains  to 
do,  to  carry  into  full  effect  the  system.  It  would  be  im- 
proper to  conceal  from  you,  that  in  order  to  finish  this 
edifice  we  have  incurred  a  considerable  debt,  which  our 
ordinary  income  cannot  extinguish ;  and  that,  therefore, 
we  must  repose  ourselves  on  the  public  beneficence.  It 
has  been  usual  to  supply  the  more  indigent  children  with 
necessaries  to  protect  them  against  the  inclemencies  of 
winter — for  without  this  provision,  their  attendance  would 
be  utterly  impracticable.     This  has  hitherto  been  accom- 


326  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

plished  by  the  bounty  of  individuals,  and  to  no  other 
source  can  we  at  present  appeal  for  success. 

The  law  from  which  we  derive  our  corporate  existence 
does  not  confine  us  to  one  seminary,  but  contemplates  the 
establishment  of  schools.  A  restriction  to  a  single  insti- 
tution would  greatly  impair  our  usefulness,  and  would  ef- 
fectually discourage  those  exertions  which  are  necessary 
in  order  to  spread  knowledge  among  all  the  indigent. 

Col.  Henry  Rutgers,  with  his  characteristic  benevo- 
lence, has  made  a  donation  of  two  lots  in  Henry-street, 
worth  at  least  twenty-five  hundred  dollars,  to  this  Corpo- 
ration. By  a  condition  contained  in  one  of  the  deeds,  it 
is  necessary  that  we  should  erect  a  school-house  by  June, 
1811 ;  and  it  is  highly  proper,  without  any  reference  to  the 
condition,  that  this  should  be  accomplished  as  soon  as 
possible,  in  order  to  meet  the  wants  of  the  indigent  in  that 
populous  part  of  the  city.  If  some  charitable  and  public- 
spirited  citizen  would  follow  up  this  beneficence,  and  make 
a  similar  conveyance  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  city,  and 
if  the  liberality  of  the  public  shall  dispense  the  means  of 
erecting  the  necessary  buildings,  then  the  exigencies  of  all 
our  poor,  with  respect  to  education,  would  be  amply  sup- 
plied for  a  number  of  years. 

After  our  youth  are  instructed  in  the  elements  of  useful 
knowledge,  it  is  indispensable  to  their  future  usefulness 
that  some  calling  should  be  marked  out  for  them.  As 
most  of  them  will  undoubtedly  be  brought  up  in  useful 
trades,  pecuniary  means  to  facilitate  their  progress  to  this 
object  would,  if  properly  applied,  greatly  redound  to  the 
benefit  of  the  individual  as  well  as  to  the  good  of  the  com- 
munity. 

In  such  an  extensive  and  comprehensive  establishment. 


FREE  SCHOOLS.  327 

we  are  to  expect,  according  to  the  course  of  human  events, 
that  children  of  extraordinary  genius  and  merit  will  rise 
up,  entitled  to  extraordinary  patronage.  To  select  such 
from  the  common  mass — to  watch  over  their  future  des- 
tiny— to  advance  them  through  all  the  stages  of  education 
and  through  all  the  grades  of  knowledge,  and  to  settle 
them  in  useful  and  honorable  professions,  are  duties  of 
primary  importance  and  indispensable  obligation.  This, 
however,  will  require  considerable  funds  :  but  of  what  es- 
timation are  pecuniary  sacrifices  when  put  in  the  scale 
against  the  important  benefits  that  may  result ;  and  if  we 
could  draw  aside  the  veil  of  futurity,  perhaps  we  might 
see  in  the  offspring  of  this  establishment,  so  patronized  and 
so  encouraged,  characters  that  will  do  honor  to  human 
nature — that  will  have  it  in  their  power — 

"  The  applause  of  list'ning  senates  to  command, 
The  threats  of  pain  and  ruin  to  despise  ; 
To  scatter  plenty  o'er  a  smiling  land, 
And  read  their  hist'ry  in  a  nation's  eyes. ' 


f^i  %Mn  lappa. 


On  the  22d  of  July,  1823,  Mr.  Clinton  delivered  the  Annual 
Address  before  the  Alpha  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Society 
of  Union  College,  of  Schenectady,  which  is  given  below. 


Mr.  President,  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Society — 

In  accepting  the  honor  of  your  renewed  invitations  to 
appear  at  this  place,  I  have  not  been  insensible  of  your 
kind  preference  ;  and  when  you  were  pleased  to  intimate 
that  the  deep  interest  of  science,  in  exhibitions  of  this  na- 
ture, might  be  promoted  by  my  cooperation,  I  considered 
it  my  imperative  duty  To  yield  a  cheerful  compliance. 
When  I  endeavor  tcPehforce  those  considerations  which 
ought  to  operate  upon  us  generally,  as  men,  and  particu- 
larly as  Americans,  to  attend  to  the  cultivation  of  know- 
ledge, you  will  not,  I  am  persuaded,  expect  that  I  shall 
act  the  holiday  orator,  or  attempt  an  ambitious  parade 
and  ostentatious  display,  or  a  gaudy  exhibition,  which 
would  neither  suit  the  character  of  the  Society,  the  dispo- 
sition of  the  speaker,  the  solemnity  of  the  place,  or  the 
importance  of  the  occasion.  What  I  say,  shall  come 
strictly  within  the  purview  of  the  Institution ;  shall  be 


330  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

comprised  in  the  language  of  unvarnished  truth,  and  shall 
be  directed  with  an  exclusive  view  to  advance  the  interests 
'  of  literature.  I  shall  not  step  aside  to  embellish  or  to  daz- 
1  zle ;  to  cull  a  flower  or  to  collect  a  gem.  Truth,  like 
beauty,  needs  not  the  aid  of  ornament ;  and  the  cause  of 
knowledge  requires  no  factitious  assistance  ;  for  it  stands 
on  its  own  merits,  supporting  and  supported  by  the  pri- 
mary interests  of  society,  and  deriving  its  effulgent  light 
from  the  radiations  of  heaven. 

Man,  without  cultivation,  differs  but  little  from  the  ani- 
mals  which  resemble  him  in  form.     His  ideas  would  be 
few  and  glimmering,  and  his  meaning  would  be  conveyed 
by  signs  or  by  confused  sounds.     His  food  would  be  the 
acorn  or  locusts — his  habitation  the  cave — his  pillow  the 
rock — his  bed  the  leaves  of  the   forest — his  clothes  the 
skins    of  wild  beasts.     Destitute  of  accommodations,  he 
would  roam  at  large,  seeking  for  food,  and  evincing  in  all 
his  actions,  that  the  state  of  untutored  nature  is  a  state  of 
war.     If  we  cast  our  eyes  over  the  pages  of  history,  or 
view  the  existing  state  of  the  world,  we  will  find  that  this 
description  is  not  exaggerated  or  over-charged.     Many 
nations  are  in  a  condition  still  more  deplorable  and  de- 
based ;  sunk  to  the  level  of  brutes  ;  and  neither  in  the 
appearance  of  their  bodies,  or  in  the  character  of  their 
minds,   bearing   a    resemblance    to    civilized   humanity. 
Others  are  somewhat  more  advanced,  and  begin  to  feel 
the  day-spring  from  on  high  :  while  those  that  have  been 
acclimated  to  virtue,  and  naturalized  to  intelligence,  have 
passed  through  a  severe  course  of  experiments,  and  a  long 
ordeal  of  sufferings. 

Almost  all  the  calamities  of  man,  except  the  physical 
evils   which   are  inherent  in  his  nature,  are  in  a  great 


PHI    BETA    KAPPA.  331 

measure  to  be  imputed  to  erroneous  views  of  religion,  or 
bad  systems  of  government;  and  these  cannot  be  co- 
existent for  any  considerable  time  with  an  extensive  dif- 
fusion of  knowledge.  Either  the  predominance  of  inteUi- 
gence  will  destroy  the  government,  or  the  government 
will  destroy  it.  Either  it  will  extirpate  superstition  and 
enthusiasm,  or  they  will  contaminate  its  purity  and 
prostrate  its  usefulness.  Knowledge  is  the  cause  as 
well  as  the  effect  of  good  government.  No  system  of 
government  can  answer  the  benign  purposes  of  the  social 
combinations  of  man  which  is  not  predicated  on  liberty  ; 
and  no  creed  of  religion  can  sustain  unsullied  purity,  or 
support  its  high  destination,  which  is  mingled  with  the 
corruptions  of  human  government.  Christianity  is  in  its 
essence,  its  doctrines,  and  its  forms,  republican.  It  teaches 
our  descent  from  a  common  parent ;  it  inculcates  the 
natural  equality  of  mankind  ;  and  it  points  to  our  origin 
and  our  end,  to  our  nativity  and  our  graves,  to  our  im- 
mortal destinies,  as  illustrations  of  this|  impressive  truth. 
But  at  an  early  period  it  was  pressed  into  the  service  of 
the  potentates  of  the  earth  ;  the  unnatural  union  of  church 
and  state  was  consummated ;  and  the  scepter  of  Constan- 
tine  was  supported  by  the  cross  of  Jesus.  The  light  of 
knowledge  was  shut  out  from  the  general  mass,  and  con- 
fined to  the  select  organs  of  tyranny  ;  and  man  was  for 
ages  enveloped  in  the  thickest  gloom  of  intellectual  and 
moral  darkness.  At  the  present  crisis  in  human  affairs, 
we  perceive  a  great  and  portentous  contest  between 
power  and  liberty — between  the  monarchical  and  the  re- 
presentative systems.  The  agonies  and  convulsions  of 
resuscitating  nature  have  agitated  the  nations,  and  before 
they  are  restored  to  their  rights,  and  the  world  to  its  re- 


332  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

pose,  the  hand  of  famine,  the  scythe  of  pestilence,  and  the 
sword  of  depopulation,  will  fill  up  the  measure  of  human 
calamity. 

The  present  state  of  the  world  exhibits  an  extraordinary 
aspect.  In  former  times  it  was  the  policy  of  the  sovereign 
to  encourage  eminent  merit  in  literature,  science,  and  the 
arts.  The  glory  that  was  radiated  on  intellectual  excel- 
lence was  reflected  back  on  the  government ;  but  these 
dispensations  of  munificence  were  confined  to  the  Ai'isto- 
tles,  the  Virgils,  and  the  Plinys  of  the  age.  The  body  of 
the  people  were  kept  in  a  state  of  profound  ignorance,  and 
considered  as  the  profanum  vulgus ;  to  be  employed  as 
hewers  of  wood  and  drawers  of  water,  and  to  be  used  as 
beasts  of  burden  or  of  prey,  as  the  policy  or  the  caprice  of 
the  despot  should  prescribe. 

The  revolution  effected  by  the  invention  of  firinting  has 
created  a  corps  of  literary  men  in  the  cities,  the  universi- 
ties, the  academies,  the  lyceums,  and  philosophical  socie- 
ties of  the  most  arbitrary  governments  of  Europe,  which 
have  exercised  an  influence  over  public  opinion  almost 
irresistible.  Man  is  the  creature  of  imitation  and  sympa- 
thy ;  and  however  callous  the  sovereign  might  be  to  public 
opinion,  yet  it  predominated  over  his  ministers,  who  in 
reality  wielded  the  sceptre.  The  consequence  was,  that 
a  more  extensive  diffusion  of  knowledge  was  promoted,  and 
the  blessings  of  instruction  visited  the  cottage  as  well  as 
the  palace.  Monitorial  schools  and  religious  societies 
were  generally  established,  and  the  sunshine  of  mental 
and  moral  illumination  penetrated  the  darkness  which  co- 
vered the  nations.  To  know  our  rights  is  to  assert  them. 
The  principles  of  the  American  revolution  became  the 
text-book  of  liberty,  and  its  practical  commentaries  are  to 


PHI    BETA    KAPPA.  333 

be  read  in  the  events  now  occurring  in  various  parts  of 
the  globe.  Greece  has  unfurled  the  hply  standard  of  li- 
berty, and  M^aves  it  in  defiance  over  the  crescent  of  Ma- 
homet. Spanish  America  is  breaking  the  chains  of  ty- 
ranny:  Spain  and  Portugal  have  drawn  the  sword  in 
vindication  of  the  rights  of  man ;  public  opinion  is  opera- 
ting with  magic  influence  in  Great  Britain  in  favor  of  the 
oppressed  nations ;  and  the  result  will  show  that  the  phys- 
ical strength  of  Europe  must  follow  the  train  of  its  moral 
power.  It  is  in  vain  to  say  that  the  people  now  in  com- 
motion are  unfit  for  free  government.  Conceding  the  fact, 
it  avails  nothing  in  the  argument.  The  human  character 
is  principally  moulded  by  knowledge,  religion,  freedom, 
and  government.  The  free  States  of  Greece  exhibited  dif- 
ferent aspects  of  mind,  of  manners,  and  of  morals.  But 
we  no  longer  remark  as  a  distinguishing  characteristic, 
the  etherial  spirit  of  the  Athenian,  the  pastoral  simplicity 
of  the  Arcadian,  the  stupidity  of  the  BcEotian,  or  the  laco- 
nic brevity  of  the  Spartan.*  The  sweeping  hand  of  des- 
potism has  confounded  in  one  mass  all  the  delicate  color- 
ing, the  lights  and  shades  of  the  picture.  In  revolutionary 
times  great  talents  and  great  virtues,  as  well  as  great  vices 
and  great  follies,  spring  into  being.  The  energies  of  our 
nature  are  put  into  requisition,  and  during  the  whirlwind 
and  the  tempest,  innumerable  evils  will  be  perpetrated. 
But  all  the  transient  mischiefs  of  revolutions  are  mild 
when  compared  with  the  permanent  calamities  of  arbitrary 
power.  The  one  is  a  sweeping  deluge,  an  awful  tornado, 
which  quickly  passes  away ;  but  the  other  is  a  volcano, 
continually  ejecting  rivers  of  lava — an  earthquake  bur}'- 
ing  whole  countries  in  ruin.     The  alleged  inaptitude  ol 

*  Hughes's  Travels  in  Greece. 


§34  be  Witt  cLiNTOpf* 

man  for  liberty  is  the  effect  of  the  oppressions  which  he 
has  suffered ;  and  until  a  free  government  can  shed  its 
propitious  influence  over  time— until,  perhaps,  a  new  ge- 
neration has  risen  up  under  the  new  order  of  things,  with 
new  habits  and  new  principles,  society  will  be  in  a  state 
of  agitation  and  mutation ;  faction  will  be  the  lord  of  the 
ascendant,  and  frenzy  and  fury,  denunciation  and  proscrip^ 
tion,  will  be  the  order  of  the  day.  The  dilemma  is  inevit-" 
able.  Either  the  happiness  of  the  many  or  the  predomi-* 
nance  of  the  few  must  be  sacrificed.  The  flame  of  liberty 
and  the  light  of  knowledge  emanate  from  the  same  sacred 
fire,  and  subsist  on  the  same  element :  and  the  seeds  of 
instruction  widely  disseminated  will,  like  the  serpent's 
teeth,  in  the  pagan  mythology,  that  were  sown  into  the 
earth,  rise  up  against  oppression  in  the  shape  of  the  iron 
men  of  Cadmus.  In  such  a  cause,  who  can  hesitate  to 
make  an  election  ?  The  factions  and  convulsions  of  free 
governments  are  not  so  sanguinary  in  character,  or  terrific 
in  effects,  as  the  animosities  and  intestine  wars  of  mo- 
narchies about  the  succession,  the  insurrections  of  the 
military,  the  prosciptions  of  the  priesthoodj  and  the  cru- 
elties of  the  administration.  The  spirit  of  a  republic  is 
the  friend,  and  the  genius  of  a  monarchy  is  the  enemy  of 
peace.  The  potentates  of  the  earth  have,  for  centuries 
back,  maintained  large  standing  armies,  and,  on  the  most 
frivolous  pretexts,  have  created  havoc  and  desolation. 
And  when  we  compare  the  world  as  it  is  under  abitrary 
power,  with  the  world  as  it  was  under  free  republics,  what 
an  awful  contrast  does  it  exhibit !  What  a  solemn  lesson 
does  it  inculcate !  The  ministers  of  famine  and  pestilence, 
of  death  and  desJtruction,  have  formed  the  van  and  brought 
up  the  rear  of  despotic  authority.     The  monuments  of  the 


Pm   BETA  KAPPA.  335 

arts,  the  fabrics  of  genius  and  skill,  and  the  sublime  erec- 
tions of  piety  and  science,  have  been  prostrated  in  the 
dust;  and  the  places  where  Demosthenes  and  Cicero 
spoke,  where  Homer  and  Virgil  sang,  and  where  Plato  and 
Aristotle  taught,  are  now  exhibited  as  mementos  of  the 
perishable  nature  of  human  glory.  The  forum  of  Rome 
is  converted  into  a  market  for  cattle  ;*  the  sacred  fountain 
of  Castalia  is  surrounded,  not  by  the  muses  and  graces, 
but  by  the  semi-bararous  girls  of  Albania  ;t  the  laurel 
groves,  and  the  deified  heights  of  Parnassus,  are  the  asy- 
lum of  banditti ;  Babylon  can  only  be  traced  by  its 
bricks;  the  sands  of  the  desert  have  overwhelmed  the 
splendid  city  of  Palmyra,  and  are  daily  encroaching  on 
fertile  territories  of  the  Nile ;  and  the  malaria  has  driven 
man  from  the  fairest  portions  of  Italy,  and  pursued  him  to- 
the  very  gates  of  the  Eternal  City. 

Considerations  like  these  announce  to  us,  in  the  most 
impressive  manner,  the  importance  of  our  position  in  the 
civiHzed  world,  and  the  necessity  of  maintaining  it.  The 
reciprocal  action  of  knowledge  and  free  government  on 
each  other,  partake  in  some  measure  of  the  character  of 
identity  ;  for  wherever  liberty  is  firmly  established,  know- 
ledge must  be  a  necessary  concomitant.  And  if  we  desire 
to  occupy  this  exalted  ground — if  we  wish  to  improve,  to 
extend  and  to  perpetuate  the  blessings  of  freedom,  it  is 
essential,  absolutely  essential,  to  improve,  to  extend,  and 
perpetuate  the  blessings  of  education.  Let  us  not 
deceive  ourselves  by  the  delusions  of  overweening  con- 
fidence, and  the  chimeras  of  impregnable  security,  and 
fondly  suppose  that  we  are  to  rise  superior  to  the  calami- 
ties of  other  nations.     Our  climate  is  salubrious,  and  we 

*  Eustace's  History,  t  Hughes's  Travels. 


336  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

are  free  from  pestilence — our  soil  is  fertile,  and  famine  is 
a  stranger — our  character  is  pacific,  and  war  is  a  rare  oc- 
currence ;  but  if  we  only  suppose  a  relaxation  of  the 
sinews  of  industry,  and  the  presence  of  a  tiger-like  thirst 
for  human  blood,  then  the  consequent  neglect  of  produc- 
tive industry,  and  the  vast  accumulation  of  taxes,  would 
drain  the  resources  of  individuals,  and  impoverish  the 
public  treasury,  and  plague  and  famine,  poverty  and  de- 
population would  follow  in  the  train  of  preexisting  cala- 
mities. Nor  is  it  to  be  concealed,  that  dangers  of  the 
most  formidable  nature  may  assail  us  from  other  sources  : 
some  peculiar  to  our  situation,  and  others  that  are  com- 
mon to  all  free  States. 

Faction  and  luxury — the  love  of  money  and  the  love  of 
power — were  the  hydra-headed  monsters  that  destroyed 
the  ancient  republics.  At  the  time  that  the  Roman 
commonwealth  was  overturned,  all  ranks  of  men  were  so 
corrupted  that  tables  were  publicly  set  out  upon  which  the 
candidates  for  offices  were  professedly  ready  to  pay  the  peo- 
ple the  price  of  their  votes ;  and  they  came  not  only  to  give 
their  voices  to  the  man  who  had  bought  them,  but  with  all 
manner  of  weapons  to  fight  for  him.  Hence  it  often 
happened  that  they  did  not  part  without  polluting  the 
tribunal  with  blood  and  murder,  and  the  city  was  a  per- 
petual scene  of  anarchy.*  The  justice  of  heaven  pursued 
the  perpetrators  of  these  enormities,  and  Rome  was 
scourged  with  a  series  of  the  most  detestable  tyrants  that 
ever  disgraced  the  character  of  humanity.  Although  cor- 
ruption will  not  at  first  present  itself  under  such  hideous 
forms,  yet  its  approaches  will  be  insidious,  undermining, 
and  dangerous.    It  will  appeal  to  cupidity  and  to  ambition, 

*  Plutarch. 


IfBi    BEfA    KAPPA.  331^ 

by  magnificent  promises  and  by  donatives  of  office,  if  not 
by  largesses  of  money.  Good  men  are  too  often  lethargic 
and  inactive— bad  men  are  generally  bold  and  adventu- 
rous. And  unless  arrested  by  the  vigilant  intelligence  and 
virtuous  indignation  of  the  community,  faction  w^ill,  in 
process  of  time,  contaminate  all  the  sources  of  public 
prosperity ;  a  deleterious  poison  will  be  infused  into  the 
vital  principles  of  the  body  politic  ;  intrigue,  ignorance, 
and  impudence  will  be  the  passports  to  public  honors  ;  and 
the  question  will  be,  not  whether  the  man  is  fit  for  the 
office,  but  whether  the  office  is  fit  for  the  man.  In  this 
crisis  of  the  republic,  its  degenerate  and  unprincipled  sons 
will  unite  in  a  common  crusade  against  the  public  good, 
and  will  encircle  the  land  with  a  cordon  of  corrupt  and 
daring  spirits,  like  the  peccant  humors  of  the  body,  which, 
in  a  dangerous  disease,  collect  in  the  morbid  part  of  the 
svstem. 

There  are  also  peculiar  circumstances  in  our  situation, 
which  ought  to  silence  high-toned  arrogance,  and  admonish 
us  of  the  danger  which  surround  us.  The  experiment  of 
a  great  empire,  founded  on  the  federative  principle,  has 
not  been  fully  tested  by  the  efflux  of  time  and  the  pressure 
of  events.  The  ancients  democracies,  where  the  people 
legislated  in  person,  were  ruined  by  the  smallness  of  their 
area.  The  impulses  of  faction  were  sudden,  unchecked, 
and  overwhelming.  An  extensive  republic,  like  ours,  may 
be  destroyed  by  a  conspirac}'^  of  the  members  against  the 
head,  or  the  power  of  government  may  be  spent  as  it  ex- 
tends, like  a  circle  in  the  water  which  is  lost  by  its  own 
expansion.  And  an  apprehension  of  this  occurrence  may 
induce  the  establishment  of  standing  armies  in  the  eX'* 
tremities  of  the  empire,  which,  as  in  the  days  of  ancient 

22 


338  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

Rome,  will  rush  to  the  capital,  to  divide  the  spoils  of 
power  and  wealth.  Nor  is  it  to  be  concealed  that  a 
spirit  is  active  in  the  community  which  tends  to  the  de- 
struction of  the  Union,  and  the  consequent  subversion  of 
the  best  hopes  of  man.  It  may  be  considered  as  giving 
too  much  in  to  refinement  to  intimate  that  the  sectional 
prejudices  which  prevail  in  certain  parts  of  the  Union 
may  be  derived  from  hereditary  antipathies  and  feelings, 
and  that  as  the  eastern  States  were  chiefly  settled  by  the 
Puritans  or  Roundheads  of  England,  and  the  principal 
southern  States  by  the  Cavaliers  or  Royalists,  a  diversity 
of  manners  was  entailed  on  their  progeny,  which  has 
tended  to  increase  and  exasperate  the  ancient  animosities 
that  were  at  the  same  time  transmitted.  I  shall  not, 
although  I  should  be  fortified  by  the  great  names  of  Aris- 
totle, Bacon,  Berkeley,  Buflbn,  and  Montesquieu,  reply  on 
the  operation  of  physical  causes  :  although,  perhaps,  they 
are  not  without  their  influence.  It  was  the  opinion  of  the 
Stagyrite,  that  the  climate  of  Greece  was  the  best  possi- 
ble one  for  the  production  of  great  men.  The  Greeks, 
said  he,  hold  a  middle  place  in  physical  and  moral  quah- 
ties,  as  well  as  topographical  situation,  between  the  north- 
ern Europeans  and  the  southern  Asiatics  ;  possessing  the 
courage  of  the  former,  without  their  torpor  of  intellect,  and 
the  ingenuity  of  the  latter,  without  their  abject  disposition. 
Lord  Bacon  has  observed,  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  south 
are  in  general  more  ingenious  than  those  of  the  north,  but 
that  where  the  native  of  a  cold  climate  has  genius,  he 
rises  to  a  higher  pitch  than  can  be  realized  by  the  southern 
wits.  And  Bishop  Berkeley*  has  illustrated  this  opinion 
by  comparing  the  southern  wits  to  cucumbers,  which  are 

*  Berkeley's  Minute  Philosopher. 


PHI    BETA    KAPPA.  339 

commonly  all  good  in  their  kind,  but  at  best  are  an  in- 
sipid fruit,  while  the  northern  geniuses  are  like  melons,  of 
which  not  one  in  fifty  is  good,  but  when  it  is  so  it  has  an 
exquisite  relish.  However  pertinent  this  doctrine  maybe 
where  it  was  intended  to  apply,  it  can  have  but  little 
weight  in  reference  to  us.  The  difference  of  latitude  and 
temperature  is  not  so  great  as  to  produce  the  predicated 
results  ;  and  so  far  as  facts  can  be  ascertained,  they  will 
not  bear  out  the  ascription.  It  is  probable  that  the  causes 
so  much  to  be  deprecated  come  under  the  denomination 
of  moral,  and  are  to  be  found  in  slavery ;  for  wherever  it 
prevails,  it  generates  an  anti-commercial  and  an  anti-manu- 
facturing spirit,  and  at  the  same  time  it  produces  a  lofty 
sense  of  independence — which  is  among  the  strongest  pre- 
servatives of  our  republican  governments.  In  the  other 
States,  where  commerce  and  manufactures  are  cultivated 
as  well  as  agriculture,  there  is  no  real  collision  of  interest 
with  the  States  purely  agricultural.  There  is,  on  the  con- 
trary, an  identity ;  and  although  the  prosperity  of  each  is 
the  prosperity  of  all,  yet  jealousies  will  spring  out  of  the 
legislative  encouragement  and  protection  of  these  great 
interests.  To  encourage  the  fabrics  of  art  is  to  encour- 
age the  fabrics  of  nature  ;  to  protect  manufactures  is  to 
advance  the  growth  of  the  raw  materials  of  which  they 
are  made ;  to  countenance  commerce  is  to  countenance 
cheapness  of  transportation  and  goodness  of  market ;  and 
to  promote  the  wealth  of  any  member  or  section  of  the 
Union,  is  to  enhance  its  abilitiy  to  use  the  fabrics  and  to 
consume  the  productions  of  the  other.  The  growing  ex- 
pansion of  liberal  feelings,  and  the  illuminating  progress  of 
political  philosophy,  have  had  a  salutary  tendency  in 
checking  prejudices  and  antipathies,  which  have  too  much 


840  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

prevailed.  But  little  to  our  honor,  I  speak  it  with  regret, 
they  have  been  recently  excited  by  a  contest  of  equestrian 
swiftness.  In  the  Olympic  games,  where  enlightened  Greece 
assembled,  where  Homer  recited  his  poem,  and  Thucidides 
his  history,  the  laureled  crown,  the  "  palma  nobilis"*  was 
awarded  to  the  man,  not  to  the  beast ;  but  the  late  display 
reminds  us  of  the  degenerate  days  of  Rome,  when  a  horse 
was  raised  to  the  honors  of  the  consulship ;  and  of  the 
Prasini  and  Veneti,  the  green  and  blue  factions,  which 
arose  from  those  colors  of  livery  in  horse-races,  and 
which  accelerated,  if  not  occasioned  the  ruin  of  the  Greek 
empire.! 

The  necessity  of  counteracting  the  tendency  of  all  hu- 
man institutions  to  debasement ;  of  guarding  with  effica- 
cious circumspection  against  the  advances  of  anarchy  and 
tyranny,  and  of  preventing  the  evils  to  which  we  are 
peculiarly  exposed,  from  expanded  territory  and  geograph- 
ical prejudices,  must  be  obvious ;  and  for  this  purpose, 
it  is  essential  to  attend,  with  increased  zeal,  to  the  great 
interests  of  education,  ^and  to  promote,  with  unrelaxed 
fervor,  the  sacred  cause  of  science.  Education  includes 
moral  as  well  as  intellectual  culture — the  georgics  of  the 
heart  as  well  of  the  head  ;  and  we  must  emphatically  look 
up  to  a  general  diffusion  of  knowledge  as  the  palladium  of 
a  free  government — the  guarantee  of  the  representative 
system,  and  the  aegis  of  our  federative  existence. 

Is  it  necessary,  on  this  occasion,  to  show  the  important 
connection  between  science  and  all  the  arts,  which  con- 
tribute to  the  sustenance,  the  accommodation,  and  the 
embellishment  of  human  life  ?  The  analytic  researches  of 
chemistry  have  opened  to  us  a  knowledge  of  the  constitu- 

*  Horace.  f  Gibbon. 


PHI    BETA    KAPPA.  341 

ent  parts  of  soils,  minerals,  vegetables,  and  other  sub- 
stances, and  have  developed  their  useful  application. 
From  the  first  conception  of  the  propulsion  of  vessels  by 
steam,  by  the  Marquis  of  Worcester,  to  its  consummation 
by  Fulton,  how  slow  was  the  progress — how  difficult  the 
accomplishment !  And  this  could  never  have  been 
effected  had  it  not  received  the  aids  of  chemical  dis- 
covery, of  mathematical  calculation,  and  of  mechanical 
philosophy.  All  that  relates  to  the  economy  of  labor  by 
machinery — to  the  facilation  of  intercourse  by  canals  and 
bridges — to  naval,  civil,  and  military  architecture — to  the 
improvement  of  agriculture — to  the  advancement  of  the 
mechanic  arts — must  be  derived  directly  or  indirectly 
from  scientific  research. 

It  is  an  ordinance  of  heaven,  that  man  must  be  em- 
ployed or  be  unhappy.  Mental  or  corporeal  labor  is  the 
destination  of  his  nature  ;  and  when  he  ceases  to  be  active, 
he  ceases  to  be  useful,  and  descends  to  the  level  of  vegeta- 
ble life :  and  certainly  those  pursuits  which  call  into  ac- 
tivity his  intellectual  powers,  must  contribute  most  to  his 
felicity,  his  dignity,  and  his  usefulness.  The  vigorous 
direction  of  an  active  mind  to  the  accomplishment  of  good 
objects,  forms  its  most  extatic  delights.  "  Haec  studia 
adolescentiam  alunt,  senectutum  oblectant,  secundas  res 
ornant,  adversis  perfugium  ac  solatium  praebent,  delectant 
domi,  non  impediunt  foris,  pernoctant  nobiscum,  peregri- 
nantur,  rusticantur."* 

The  honor  and  glory  of  a  nation  consists  in  the  illus- 
trious achievements  of  its  sons  in  the  cabinet  and  in  the  field, 
in  the  science  and  learning  which  compose  the  knowledge 
of  man,  in  the  arts  and  inventions  which  administer  to  his 

*  Cicero. 


342  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

accommodation,  and  in  the  virtues  which  exalt  his  charac- 
ter. Scarcely  two  centuries  have  elapsed  since  the  settle- 
ment of  these  United  States,  and  in  that  period  we  have 
seen  a  Washington,  a  Henry,  a  Franklin,  a  Ritten- 
HousE,  and  a  Fulton — the  most  splendid  names  in  war,  in 
eloquence,  in  philosophy,  in  astronomy,  and  in  mechanics, 
which  the  world  has  ever  witnessed.  The  congress  of 
patriots  who  proclaimed  our  independence  in  the  face  of 
an  admiring  world,  and  in  the  view  of  approving  heaven, 
have  descended,  with  three  exceptions,  to  the  grave  ;  and 
in  this  illustrious  band  were  comprised  more  virtue,  and 
wisdom,  and  patriotism,  and  energy,  than  in  any  association 
of  ancient  or  modern  times.  I  might  proceed,  and  pro- 
nounce an  eulogium  on  our  savans  who  have  illustrated 
philosophy  and  the  exact  sciences ;  on  our  literati,  who 
have  explored  the  depths  and  ascended  the  heights  of 
knowledge  ;  on  our  poets,  who  have  strung  the  lyre  of 
Appollo ;  on  our  painters,  who  have  combined  the  sublime 
and  the  beautiful  in  the  graphic  art ;  on  our  statesmen, 
who  have  taught  the  ways  and  the  means  of  establishing 
the  greatest  happiness  of  the  greatest  number ;  and  on  our 
theologians,  who  have  vindicated  the  ways  of  God  to  man. 
But  I  forbear.  The  task  of  selection  is  at  all  times  invidi- 
ous ;  and  most  of  the  distinguished  men  to  whom  I  allude 
are  still  living,  and  probably  some  of  them  are  now  pres- 
ent ;  and  I  ought  certainly  neither  to  offend  their  modesty 
nor  violate  my  sense  of  self-respect  by  the  obtrusion  of 
praise  which  is  not  required  by  the  occasion,  and  which 
will  be  more  suitably,  and  unquestionably  most  liberally, 
dispensed  by  future  times. 

When  we  consider  the  small  areas  in  which  the  insignia 
of  human   greatness  have  been  displayed,  we  will  find 


PHI    BETA    KAPPA.  343 

equal  cause  for  astonishment  and  exultation.  Attica  was 
not  more  extensive  than  some  of  our  counties,  and  the 
whole  of  Greece  did  not  exceed  this  State  in  dimensions. 
Rome,  for  a  long  period,  did  not  cover  as  great  an  extent ; 
and  the  Swiss  Cantons,  the  United  Netherlands,  and  Eng- 
land, when  compared  with  the  illustrious  men  and  the 
illustrious  deeds  of  which  they  can  boast,  are  of  a  very 
limited  space.  The  United  States  contain  more  tlian  a 
twentieth  part  of  the  land  of  this  globe,  and  not  600,000 
square  miles  less  than  the  whole  of  Europe.  The  Deity 
has  placed  us  on  a  mighty  continent ;  the  plastic  hand  of 
nature  has  operated  on  a  stupendous  scale  ;  our  rivers  and 
lakes,  our  cataracts  and  mountains,  our  soil  and  climate, 
bear  the  impress  of  greatness,  of  fertility,  of  salubrity. 
In  this  spacious  theater,  replete  with  the  sublime  and  the 
beautiful,  let  us  act  a  coi'respondent  part.  This  State, 
which  now  has  a  population  of  a  million  and  a  half,  is 
capable  of  supporting  ten  millions  of  souls;  and  before  this 
century  closes,  this  maximum  will  be  attained.  And  if 
in  the  councils  of  the  Almighty  it  is  decreed  that  we  shall 
continue  to  advance  in  all  that  can  render  a  people  intelli- 
gent and  virtuous,  prosperous  and  happy,  with  what  rever- 
ence will  posterity  regard  the  memory  of  those  who  have 
laid  the  foundation  of  such  greatness  and  renown ! 

The  elementary  parts  of  education  in  common  schools 
are  the  substrata  of  the  studies  of  the  academy  and  the 
college — and  then  again,  the  acquisition  of  those  institu- 
tions become  the  basis  of  professional  pursuits  in  divinity, 
law,  or  medicine,  and  the  foundation  of  that  information 
which  leads  to  more  momentous  advances  in  the  cabinet, 
the  senate,  or  the  field — which  penetrates  the  regions  of 
discovery  and  invention,  and  which  enlightens  the  world 


344  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

by  literary  disquisition  and  scientific  investigation.  Giving 
full  credit  to  all  the  benefits  derived  from  the  prescribed 
courses  of  collegiate  studies,  perhaps  the  faculties  of  young 
men  are  more  powerfully  evolved  by  institutions  like  the 
present,  which  generate  habits  of  observation  and  reflec- 
tion, and  which  produce  ability  in  composition  and  facility 
in  public  speaking.  And  equally  striking  are  the  benefits 
of  the  extensive  libraries  within  reach,  where  the  "  relics 
of  the  ancient  saints  of  literature,  full  of  true  virtue  and 
without  delusion  or  imposture,"*  and  the  oblations  and 
offerings  of  the  votaries  of  learning  in  other  times  are 
preserved. 

The  field  of  honor  and  usefulness  is  now  before  you. 
Whatever  direction  you  take,  whatever  course  you  adopt, 
it  is  in  your  power  to  become  eminent.  The  first  man  in 
his  profession  is  often  absolutely,  and  always  relatively,  a 
great  man.  In  this  country  particularly,  every  man  has  it 
in  his  power  to  be  the  architect  of  his  own  fortune.  And 
M^hen  he  rises,  let  him  ascend  the  pyramid  of  greatness, 
not  by  the  creeping  tortuous  windings  of  the  reptile,  but 
by  the  sublime  flight  of  the  bird  of  Jove.  The  eagle  erects 
his  eyrie  on  the  mountain  top,  looks  at  the  sun  with  un- 
dazzled  eyes,  and  defies  the  thunder  and  the  storm.  The 
serpents  creeps  on  the  earth,  hides  in  the  cavern,  and  sinks 
into  torpidity. 

Without  referring  to  the  inducements  for  exertion  arising 
from  the  successful  enterprise  of  our  citizens  at  home,  it 
must  be  sufficient  to  animate  you  to  active  industry  by 
pointing  out  the  harvest  of  profit  and  glory  which  has  been 
reaped  abroad.  West,  of  Pennsylvania,  has  delighted  and 
astonished  the  world  by  his  pictorial  peformances.     Alur- 

*  Bacon. 


PHI    BETA    KAPPA.  345 

ray,  of  New  York,  has  written  the  best  work  on  Enghsh 
Grammar,  evincing  a  mind  of  the  most  lucid,  discrimina- 
ting, and  arranging  constitution,  and  he  is  now  enjoying 
the  rewards  of  his  piety  and  erudition,  in  the  smiles  of  an 
approving  conscience  and  the  plaudits  of  good  men. 
Perkins,  of  Massachusetts,  is  now  pushing  that  wonderful 
invention,  the  steam-engine,  to  the  utmost  verge  of  per- 
fection. Many  of  our  enterprising  youth  are  now  tra- 
versing sea  and  land  in  the  pursuit  of  science  :  some  are 
seated  in  the  celebrated  schools  of  medicine  and  natural 
science — some  are  in  the  great  cities,  examining  the 
fabrics  of  art,  the  machinery  and  process  of  manufactur- 
ing, the  movements  and  evolutions  of  commerce,  and  the 
complex  relations  of  political  economy.  Others  are  mov- 
ing in  different  directions ;  improving  their  information  in 
agriculture,  their  taste  in  the  fine  arts,  and  adding  to  their 
knowledge  of  men  and  things.  A  late  writer*  mentions 
that  at  a  popular  point  of  his  tour  in  Swizerland,  it  ap- 
peared from  a  register  which  he  consulted,  that  even  in 
that  sequestered  region  the  proportion  of  American  travel- 
ers was  respectable. 

The  revolution  in  navigation  is  the  most  astonishing 
portion  of  history.  Wherever  great  communications  can 
be  maintained  by  water,  the  seats  of  commerce  and  navi- 
gation, of  dense  population  and  extensive  dominion,  will 
be  established  at  those  places.  Before  the  discovery  of 
the  magnet,  navigation  was  generally  within  sight  of  land. 
Who  does  not  smile  when  he  reads  of  the  ten  years  wan- 
derings and  sufferings  of  Ulysses  from  Ilium  in  Asia  Minor 
to  the  little  island  of  Ithaca — which,  within  a  few  years, 
has  been  taken  possession  of  by  a  British  sergeant  and 

*  Simond. 


346  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

his  guard* — and  of  the  terrific  and  appalling  adventures  of 
the  pious  iEneas  in  a  voyage  from  the  former  place  to 
Italy  ?     If  an  epic  poem  were  now  written,  conceived  by 
the  sublime  genius  of  Homer,  and  matured  by  the  embel- 
lished taste  and  correct  judgment  of  Virgil,  describing  in 
"  thoughts  that  breathe  and  words  that  burn,"t  the  voyage 
of  a  hero,  full  of  emprise  and  pregnant  with  danger,  from 
the  city  of  New  York  to  the  island  of  St.  Domingo,  or 
the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi^  (the  full  distance  of  the  pro- 
gress of  Ulysses  and  ^Eneas),  although  it  might  be  sus- 
tained by  all  the  interest  arising  from  important  episodes 
and  preternatural  machinery,  yet  the  essence  of  the  poem 
would  be  so  absurd  that  no  genius  or  management  could 
protect  it  from  the  hue  and  cry  of  universal   contempt. 
The  Mediterranean  Sea  was  the  locus  of  ancient  naviga- 
tion, and  on  its  borders  sprung  up  in  succession  the  four 
great  monarchies — the  Assyrian,  the  Persian,  the  Grecian, 
and  the  Roman  :  and  "  all  our  religion — almost  all  our  law 
— almost  all  our  arts — almost  all  that  sets  us  above  sav- 
ages, have  come  to  us  from  the  shores  of  the  Mediterra- 
nean."J     The  mariner's  compass  has  opened  the  gates  of 
the  great  oceans,  and  the  enterpising  spirit  formerly  im- 
prisoned in  a  small  space  has  spread  over  the  globe,  car- 
rying with  it  the  riches  of  commerce  and  the  refinements 
of  knowledge.     A  voyage  to  Europe  is  now  considered  an 
excursion  of  pleasure  :  a  voyage  to  China  is  viewed  as  a 
common  occurrence ;  and  even  a  voyage  of  circumnaviga- 
tion round  the  globe,  which  was  formerly  contemplated 
with  more  apprehension  than  all  the  labors  of  Hercules, 
passes  without  much  observation.      This  spirit  has  ex- 
tended to  all  modes  of  travelling,  and  all  objects  of  dis- 
*  Hobhouse's  Travels.  t  Gray.  J  Dr.  Johnson. 


PHI    BETA    KAPPA.  347 

covery.  The  application  of  steam  to  the  propulsion  of 
boats,  the  establishment  of  swift  packets,  the  improve- 
ment of  natm-al  and  the  creation  of  artificial  water  cour- 
ses, have  produced  the  approximation  of  remote  places, 
and  substituted  contiguity  in  lieu  of  distance.  In  former 
times,  and  within  the  recollection  of  some  who  hear  me, 
a  voyage  to  Oswego,  or  a  journey  to  Niagara,  was  con- 
sidered a  difficult  and  bold  enterprise,  and  the  island  of 
Michilimackinack  was  viewed  as  the  ultima  Thule  of 
of  America.  All  parts  of  the  world  are  now  explored  by 
American  enterprise  :  and  if  we  reap  so  nobly  the  fruits 
of  our  industry  and  capacity  in  exertions  abroad,  a  much 
more  extensive  harvest  of  glory  remains  for  our  operations 
at  home. 

Linneeus  has  truly  observed,  that  "  what  we  know  of 
the  Divine  works  are  much  fewer  than  those  of  which 
we  are  ignorant."  The  first  edition  of  his  Species  Plan- 
tarum  contained  only  7300  plants,  and  now  upwards  of 
50,000  are  enumerated  ;  and  it  is  almost  certain  that  our 
forests,  our  marshes,  and  our  mountains,  contain  the  most 
interesting  nondescripts.  Zoology  has  been  very  partially 
cultivated.  Almost  all  our  mammalia,  many  of  our  fishes, 
amphibia  and  birds,  have  been  arranged  and  described. 
Entomology  has  been,  I  may  say,  altogether  overlooked ; 
and  mineralogy  and  geology  present  unbounded  scope  for 
investigation.  In  some  of  our  great  seminaries  of  instruc- 
tion, the  elements  of  natural  science  are  taught,  and  our 
young  physicians  generally  go  into  active  life  with  initia- 
tory information.  We  have  lyceums  estabhshed  in  va- 
rious places,  which  will  serve  as  schools  of  natural  history, 
and  as  depositories  of  its  treasures.  Wherever  a  subject 
has   been   properly   and   scientifically   described,   it   can 


348  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

always  be  recognized  from  the  description.  But  here  the 
functions  of  the  philosopher  do  not  terminate.  The  spe- 
cies is,  to  be  sure,  determined — its  generic  character  as- 
certained, and  it  is  enrolled  by  a  name  in  its  appropriate 
order  and  class ;  but  a  still  more  expanded  field  of  observa- 
tion and  inquiry  remain :  you  are  introduced  to  a  stranger ; 
his  name  is  announced,  and  you  have  observed  his  ex- 
ternal form  and  manners  ;  but  can  you  be  said  to  under- 
stand his  character  until  you  have  sounded  the  depths  and 
shallows  of  his  mind,  and  examined  the  good  and  bad 
qualities  of  his  heart — the  variations  of  his  conduct — the 
impulses,  predilections  and  prejudices  which  tinge  the  color 
of  his  life,  and  the  variety  of  lights  and  shades  which  en- 
ter into  the  composition  of  his  character  ?  In  like  man- 
ner, you  see  a  mineral,  a  plant,  or  an  animal — may  learn 
its  name,  and  understand  its  scientific  arrangements  ;  but 
your  knowledge  of  it  would  be  very  imperfect,  and  almost 
altogether  useless,  unless  you  proceed  further,  and  investi- 
gate its.  habitations  and  localities — 'its  properties  and  uses ; 
and,  if  an  organized  being,  its  manners,  its  morals,  and 
its  habits.  And  owing  to  the  neglect  of  these  obvious  and 
important  considerations,  natural  science  has  not  attained 
its  merited  rank  in  the  scale  of  utility,  and  in  the  estima- 
tion of  the  public.  The  prodigal  creation  of  genera,  the 
preposterous  multiplication  of  species,  the  adoption  of 
new  nomenclatures,  the  augmentation  of  synonymes, 
and  the  conversion  of  varieties  into  species,  and  of  species 
into  genera,  have  darkened  the  science  with  myriads  of 
useless  and  barbarous  terms — have  sullied  its  lustre,  and 
depreciated  its  sterling  merits.  "  If  every  minute  differ- 
ence, every  trifling  variation,"  said  Linnaeus  in  a  letter  to 


J>H1   BETA   KAPPA.  840 

Haller,  "  is  to  establish  a  new  species,  why  should  I  delay 
to  exhibit  ten  thousand  such  species  ?" 

Vanity  furnishes  a  sufficient  fund  of  inducement  for  this 
ridiculous  course.     A  new  species,  or  a  new  genus,  enti- 
tles the  noraenclator  to  the  honors  of  a  discovery ;  and  in 
acting  the  godfather,  he  will  probably  select  the  name  of 
a  friend,  and  expect  in  time  the  return  of  the  compliment. 
The  dealers  in  specimens  have  also  a  direct  interest  in 
the  increase  and  confusion  of  nomenclature.      For  every 
new  name  of  the  same  substance,  an  addition  may  be 
made  to  the  stock  of  their  commodities,  and  the  range  of 
their  sales,     But  the  honors  of  a  new  system  of  arrange- 
ment are  too  flattering  and  transcendant  not  to  be  at- 
tempted ;  and  the  consequence  is,  that  the  system  of  Lin- 
naeus has  been  mutilated,  and  in  a  great  degree  displaced, 
and  new  ones  substituted,  which  have  introduced  the  reign 
of  chaos  and  old  night  into  natural  science.     It  has  in- 
deed in  some   instances  been  judiciously  modified,   and 
greatly  meliorated.     But  better  for  the  cause  of  knowledge 
to  have  an  uniform  system  with  many  defects,  than  to  be 
perplexed  and  embarrassed  with  a   diversity.     We  can 
travel  on  one  highway  without  losing  ourselves,  but  if  we 
are  bewildered  by  many  roads  and  bye-paths,  our  progress 
will  be  slow,  uncertain,  and  erroneous.     When  philosophy 
consists Jn  words  and  not  in  things,  it  loses  its  body  and 
becomes  a  shadow — it  changes  the  real  for  the  nominal. 
And  it  is  not  too  uncharitable  to  say,  that  the  philosophers 
of  terminology  assume  the  physiognomy  of  knowledge 
and  conceal  the  absence  of  ideas  by  the  use  of  hard 
words,  as  the  cuttle-fish  merges  itself  in  concealment  by 
the  dark  fluid  which  it  emits. 


350  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

This  endless  jargon  of  nomenclature — ihis  "  rudis  indi- 
gestaque  moles"*  of  science,  has  imposed  a  moral  duresse 
upon  the  freedom  of  the  mind,  and  the  votary  of  nature 
cannot  penetrate  the  adytum  of  its  holy  temple  without 
encountering  the  same  obstacles  which  the  knight  of 
chivalry  had  to  sustain  when  he  endeavored  to  force  his 
way  into  an  enchanted  castle,  through  the  opposition  of 
dragons,  lions,  giants  and  genii,  gorgons,  hydras,  and  chi- 
meras dire  ;  and  the  human  mind,  borne  down  with  a  load 
of  verbiage,  is  doomed  to  suffer  an  intellectual  torture, 
like  prisoners  in  England,  who,  on  their  arraignment,  re- 
fusing to  plead,  and  standing  mute,  were  sentenced  to  un- 
dergo the  peine  forte  et  dure,  and  to  be  smothered  to  death 
under  weights  piled  on  their  recumbent  bodies.  And  un- 
questionably these  innovations  are  as  deteriorating  as  the 
scholastic  philosophy  introduced  by  the  commentators  on 
Aristotle ;  a  philosophy  of  words  and  notions,  distinctions 
and  subtleties,  abstract  ideas  and  occult  qualities,  that 
either  covered  the  intellectual  world  with  darkness,  or 
glimmered  like  shadows  in  the  twilight,  which  the  eye 
could  hardly  distinguish  from  the  surrounding  gloom.  All 
such  proceedings  would  indicate  "  as  if  there  were  sought 
in  knowledge  a  couch  whereupon  to  rest  an  uneasy  spirit ; 
or  for  a  terrace  for  a  wandering  mind  to  walk  up  and  down 
with  a  fair  prospect ;  or  a  tower  of  state  for  a  proud  mind 
to  rest  itself  upon  ;  or  a  fort,  or  commanding  ground,  for 
strife  and  contention ;  or  a  ship  for  profit  or  sale  ;  and  not 
a  rich  store-house  for  the  glory  of  God  and  the  benefit  of 
man."f 

Shall  we  then  call  on  some  transcendant  genius  to  dis- 
pel the  darkness  ?   some  intellectual  Hercules,  to  purify 

*  Ovid.  f  Bacon. 


PHI    BETA  KAPPA.  351 

the  Augean  stable  ?  some  mighty  Bacon  to  act  the  great 
deliverer  ? 

The  great  deliverer  he !  who  from  the  gloom 
Of  cloister'd  monks  and  jargon-teaching  schools, 
Led  forth  the  true  philosophy — here  long 
Held  in  the  magic  chain  of  words  and  forms, 
And  definitions  void  :  He  led  her  forth, 
Daughter  of  heaven : — that,  slow  ascending,  still 
Investigating  sure  the  chain  of  things, 
With  radiant  finger  points  to  heav'n  again* 

This  gloomy  representation  must  not,  however,  produce 
despondence,  and  the  amateur  need  not  take  the  Leuca- 
dian  leap,  in  despair  of  attaining  the  object  of  his  fond  de- 
votions. The  leading  savans  of  France  have  combined  to 
restore  the  botanical  part  of  the  Linnaean  system.  A 
general  disgust  is  rising  up  against  the  mummery  of  sci- 
ence, and  time  and  light  will  soon  exercise  a  sanative 
power  over  the  disease. 

Some  foreign  governments  have  now  in  this  country 
agents  to  collect  our  productions.  Scientific  foreigners 
are  now  exploring  it  with  microscopic  eyes ;  and  some 
standard  works  have  proceeded  from  their  pens.  Pursh, 
and  the  Michaux  in  botany,  and  Wilson  in  ornithology, 
may  be  mentioned  as  peculiarly  meritorious. 

Mineralogy  has  also  attracted  great  attention  from 
abroad,  as  well  as  at  home.  And  we  can  boast  of  Cleave- 
land,  whose  work  gives  an  admirable  view  of  the  science  ; 
and  of  Silliman,  in  natural  history  generally,  whose  pe- 
riodical publications  reflect  lustre  on  the  investigating 
spirit  of  our  country.  It  requires  more  practice  than 
genius  to  detect  the  nature  of  minerals ;  and  no  person 

*  Thompson. 


352  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

need  despair  of  success,  whether  he  proceed  to  the  de- 
velopment  by    external   appearance,    chemical   anal3'sis, 
crystalline  structure,  or  optical  character.     Geology  treats 
of  the  structure  and  .relative  position  of  the  substances 
which  compose  the  crust  of  the  earth ;  forms  an  admira- 
ble illustration  of  the  power,  wisdom,  and  benevolence  of 
the  Deity,  and  so  far  as  it  rests  on  ascertained  phenomena, 
is  in  perfect  accordance  with  the  cosmogony  of  Moses. 
In  cultivating  it,  we  ought  particularly  to  follow  the  in- 
ductive mode  of  Bacon,  and  to  attend  exclusively  to  facts- 
It  may  amuse  the  imagination  to  read  the  romances  of 
scientific   men,   in   the   shape  of   theories   of  the   earth. 
Whether  this  earth  is  an  extinguished  sun,  or  a  vitrified 
globe,  or  an   animal  possessed  of  living  faculties,  or  a 
splinter  of  the  sun,  or  a  concoction  of  chemical  affinities 
and  mechanical  deposition,  or,  by  falling  into  the  great 
deep,  has  been  split  into  a  thousand  fragments,  or  been 
disorganized  and  shattered  by  the  impingement  of  a  comet, 
are  inquiries  little  calculated  to  instruct  the  understanding. 
The  specious  figments  of  genius,  and  the  erratic  flights  of 
philosophy,  may  excite  our  wonder,  but  they  cannot  stand 
the  ordeal  of  scrutiny,  or  the  Lydian  touch  of  experiment. 
Time  will  scarcely  permit  even  a  short  allusion  to  the 
exact  sciences,  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts,  polite 
literature,  the  fine  arts,  and  political  philosophy :  all   of 
which  open  subjects  of  the  most   interesting   character, 
that  bear  directly  upon  the  general  welfare :  and  all  of 
them  present  the  strongest  incentives  to  the  love  of  fame,* 
which  is  the  great  principle  of  the  noble  mind,  and  the 
last  that  it  resigns.     It  is  a  common  remark,  that,  "  nihil 
dictum  quod  non  dictum  prius,"  and  some  are  even  so 

*  Tacitus* 


JPfll   BETA  KAPPA.  S53 

absurb  as  to  suppose,  that  the  stock  of  original  ideas  is  ex- 
hausted. Much,  no  doubt,  has  been  anticipated,  but  it  is 
equally  true  that  much  remains  untouched  and  unnoticed. 
Some  of  the  greatest  discoveries  have  been  so  contempo- 
raneous that  it  has  been  impossible  to  establish  a  charge 
of  plagiarism.  Many  ideas  are  original,  as  it  respects  the 
author,  and  yet  are  not  new  :  in  which  case  the  concep- 
tion is  more  vivid,  and  the  impression  more  powerful  than 
when  of  a  derivative  character.  The  infinite  combina- 
tions of  which  the  mind  is  susceptible— the  lights  and 
shades  which  the  imagination  can  cast  upon  all  subjects, 
and  the  powerful  action  of  the  understanding,  in  measur- 
ing the  relations  of  ideas,  in  surveying  the  constitutions  of 
things,  in  penetrating  the  secrets  of  nature,  and  developing 
the  properties  of  mind  and  matter,  furnish  conclusive  evi- 
dence of  the  progressive  improvement  of  our  faculties,  and 
of  their  capacity  to  elicit  new  ideas  on  all  subjects,  and  to 
make  discoveries  of  all  kinds.  Some  inventions  are  the 
offspring  of  accident— as  gunpowder,  printing,  and  the 
mariner's  compass.  Others  are  the  result  of  a  happy  im- 
pulse. Some  assume  maturity  at  the  first  inception,  like 
Pallas,  who  sprung  from  the  head  of  Jove,  completely 
armed  with  the  panoply  of  wisdom.  While  most  dis- 
coveries have  proceeded  gradually  to  perfection,  like  our 
majestic  Hudson,  which,  although  small  in  its  origin,  yet, 
by  the  addition  of  fresh  streams  in  its  career  to  the  ocean, 
becomes  at  last  able  to  bear  ships  of  the  greatest  burden. 
We  are  as  prone  to  shoot  beyond  as  to  shoot  short  of  the 
mark ;  and  nothing  is  more  pernicious  to  the  discovery  of 
truth,  than  a  refining  and  sophisticating  spirit,  which  in- 
fects every  subject  with  its  perverse  and  diminutive  views, 

23 


354  DE    WITT    CLINTON, 

An  illustrious  writer*  has  well  observed,  that  "  men  are 
are  accustomed  to  take  a  prospect  of  nature  from  some 
higher  tower,  to  view  her  at  a  distance,  and  to  be  too 
much  absorbed  in  generalities.  Whereas  if  they  would 
vouchsafe  to  descend,  approach  nearer  to  particulars,  and 
more  exactly  and  considerately  look  into  things  them- 
selves, there  might  be  a  more  true  and  valuable  compre- 
hension and  discovery."  And  let  it  be  understood,  "  that 
the  wonders  of  nature  lie  out  of  the  high  road  and  beaten 
paths,  so  that  the  very  absurdity  of  an  attempt  may  some- 
times be  felicitous."*  The  mind,  matured  by  deep  and 
continual  meditation,  enlightened  by  wise  and  learned 
conversation,  and  fertilized  by  judicious  and  extensive 
reading,  resembles  that  splendid  metal  which  was  formed 
from  the  fusion  of  many  minerals  in  that  great  conflagra- 
tion at  Corinth.  Like  the  crucible  of  the  alchymist,  it 
will  indeed  aspire  to  creative  power :  like  the  deflagrator 
and  the  galvanic  battery,  it  pursues  nature  into  the  most 
occult  recesses,  and  tortures  her  into  a  confession  of  her 
most  important  secrets ;  and  like  the  poet's  eye,  it  glances 
from  heaven  to  earth,  from  earth  to  heaven,  and  as  ima- 
gination bodies  forth  the  forms  of  things  unknown,  turns 
them  to  shape,  and  gives  to  airy  nothing  a  local  habitation 
and  a  name.f 

Let  us  then  be  vigilant  and  active  in  the  great  and  holy 
cause  of  knowledge.  The  field  of  glory  stretches  before 
you  in  wide  expanse.  Untrodden  heights  and  unknown 
lands  surround  you.  Waste  not,  however,  your  energies 
on  subjects  of  a  frivolous  nature,  of  useless  curiosity,  or 
impracticable  attainment.  Books  have  been  multiplied  to 
designate  the  writer  of  Junius  ;  the  man  in  the  Iron  Mask 

*  Bacon.  f  Shakspeare. 


PHI    BETA    KAPPA.  355 

has  exercised  the  inquisitorial  attention  of  Europe ;  and 
perpetual  motion,  the  philosopher's  stone,  and  the  immor- 
tal elixir,  have  destroyed  the  lives  and  fortunes  of  thou- 
sands. Genuine  philosophy  has  sometimes  its  abera- 
tions,  and  like  the  Spartan  king  or  Roman  emperor,  min- 
gles in  the  amusements  of  children.  The  sceptre  of  science 
is  too  often  surrounded  by  toys  and  baubles,  and  even 
Linnaeus  condescended  to  amuse  his  fancy  with  the  crea- 
tion of  vegetable  dials  and  oriental  pearls.  Innovation 
without  improvement,  and  experiments  without  discove- 
ries, are  the  rocks  on  which  ingenuity  is  too  often  ship- 
wrecked. 

"Omne  ignotum  pro  magnifico,"*  said  the  profound 
historian  of  Rome.  Wonder  is  the  child  of  ignorance, 
and  vanity  is  the  offspring  of  imbecility.  Let  us  be  aston- 
ished at  nothing  but  our  own  apathy ;  and  cease  to  be 
vain  even  of  our  virtues.  The  fragrance  of  the  humble 
lilly  of  the  valley,  and  of  the  retiring  eglantine  of  the 
woods,  is  more  grateful  to  genuine  taste  than  the  ex- 
pressed odor  of  the  queen  of  flowers,  or  the  most  costly 
products  of  the  chemical  alembic. 

In  our  literary  pursuits,  let  us  equally  reject  a  blind  cre- 
dulity that  believes  every  fable,  and  a  universal  pyrrhonism 
that  repudiates  all  truths — a  canine  appetite  which  de- 
vours every  thing  however  light,  and  digests  nothing 
however  alimentary — and  a  fastidious  taste,  which  de- 
lights not  in  the  nutritious  viand,  but  seeks  its  gratifica- 
tion in  the  aromatic  dessert. 

The  waters  of  ancient  learning  ought  to  be  drunk  at 
the  fountain  head  in  preference  to  the  streams.  We  are 
too  prone  to  rely  on  references,  quotations,  abridgments 

*  Tacitus. 


356  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

and  translations.     The  consequence  is,  that  the  meaning 
of  the  original  frequently  reaches  us  in  a  perverted  or  er- 
roneous shape — its  ethereal  spirit  evaporates  by  a  change 
of  conveyance,  and  we  lose  our  acquaintance  with  the 
learned  languages.     A  fault  equally  common,  and  more 
humiliating,  is  an  idolatrous  veneration  for  the  literary 
men  of  Europe.      This  intellectual  vassalage  has  been 
visited  by  high-toned  arrogance  and  malignant  vitupera- 
tion.    Harmless  indeed  is  the  calumny,  and  it  recoils  from 
the  object  like  the  javelin  thrown  by  the  feeble  hand  of 
old  Priam  ;  but  it  ought  to  combine  with  other  induce- 
ments to  encourage  a  vernacular  literature,  and   to  cause 
us  to  bestow  our  patronage  upon  more  meritorious  works 
of  our  own  country.     We  have  writers  of  genius  and  eru- 
dition, who  form  a  respectable  profession.     Some  have 
ascended  the  empyreal  heights  of  poesy,  and  have  gather- 
ed the  laurel  wreaths  of  genius  ;  others  have  trodden  the 
enchanted  ground  of  fictitious  narrative,  and  have  been 
honored  by  the  tears  of  beauty  and  the  smiles  of  virtue ; 
while  several  have  unfolded  the  principles  of  science,  lite- 
rature, philosophy,  jurisprudence,  and  theology,  and  have 
exalted  the  intellectual  glory  of  America.     Let  us  cherish 
the  hope,  that  some  at  least  will  devote  their  faculties  to 
improve  those  arts  and  sciences  on  which  the  substantial 
interests  of  our  country  so  greatly  depend.     I  refer  par- 
ticularly to  agriculture,  civil  engineering,  and  naval  archi- 
tecture.    Let  us  also  trust  that  some  vigorous  minds  will 
apply  their  powers  to  the  illustration  of  our  history.     It 
has  been  said,  with  more  point  than  truth,  that  the  annals 
of  modern  colonies  afford  but  two  memorable  events — the 
foundation,  and  the  separation  from  the  parent  country.* 

*  Humboldt. 


PHI    BETA    KAPPA.  357 

If  this  observation  had  been  so  qualified  as  to  refer  to 
those  occurrences  as  the  most  memorable,  not  as  the  only 
memorable  events,  it  would  undoubtedly  have  been  cor- 
rect. The  colonial  history  of  New  York,  although  imper- 
fectly executed,  and  brought  down  only  to  1732,  is  fertile 
of  instruction  and  replete  with  interest.  The  translations 
of  the  erudite  Vanderkemp,  and  the  collections  of  the  His- 
torical Society  of  New  York,  have  furnished  the  most 
ample  materials ;  and  whenever  it  is  given  to  the  world 
by  a  master  hand,  it  will  be  a  complete  refutation  of  the 
remark  which  I  have  quoted.  Is  it  too  much  too  say 
that  we  have  no  good  history  of  the  United  States,  and 
that  the  best  account  of  our  independence  is  written  by 
Botta,  an  Italian  ?  At  this  moment,  a  respectable  me- 
chanic of  the  city  of  London  is  collecting  the  materials 
for  writing  our  history.  He  is  favorably  noticed  by  dis- 
tinguished members  of  Parliament ;  and  although  his  mind 
has  not  been  disciplined  by  a  liberal  education,  yet  its 
productions  display  vigorous  and  cultivated  powers.  Let 
this  stimulate  us  to  similar  and  animated  exertions,  and 
let  not  our  writers  despair  of  ultimate  success,  even  if 
their  efforts  are  attended  with  partial  failures.  Experi- 
ence certainly  brightens  the  vista  of  futurity ;  but  they 
must  expect  that  their  fate  will  be  determined  sooner  or 
later  by  intrinsic  merit.  Those  writings  that  emit  no  ef- 
fulgence and  communicate  no  information  will  fall  still- 
born from  the  press,  and  plunge  at  once  into  the  abyss  of 
obscurity.  Others  again  will  dazzle  as  they  glide  rapidly 
over  the  literary  horizon,  and  be  seen  no  more.  Some, 
after  basking  in  the  meridian  sunshine,  will  gradually  un- 
dergo a  temporary  eclipse ;  but  time  will  dispense  justice, 
and  restore  thir  original  splendor. 


358  DE    WITT    CLINTON.  ' 

1 

So  sinks  the  day-star  in  the  ocean's  bed,  ! 

And  yet  anon  repairs  his  drooping  head, 

And  tricks  his  beams,  and  with  new  spangled  ore. 

Flames  in  the  forehead  of  the  morning  sky.* 

A  fortunate  few  are  always  in  the  full  blaze  of  sublime  ' 
glory  ;  they  are  the  phoenixes  of  the  age,  the  elect  of  j 
genius,  and  the  favorites  of  nature  and  heaven.  ' 

There  is  nothing  "  under  Heaven's  wide  hollowness,"t      | 
which  does  not  furnish  aliment  for  the  mind.     All  that 
we  observe  by  the  organs  of  sense,  and  all  that  we  per-      i 
ceive  by  the  operations  of  the  understanding — all  that  we      | 
contemplate  in  retrospect,  at  the  present  or  in  the  future,      j 
may  be  compounded  or  decomposed  in  the  intellectual      ' 
laboratory,  for  beneficial  purposes.     The   active  mind   is      i 
always  vigilant,  always  observing.     The  original  images      j 
which  are   created    by  a  vivid   imagination,  the   useful 
ideas  which  are  called  up  by  memory,  and  the  vigorous 
advances  of  the  reasoning  power  into  the  regions  of  dis- 
quisition and  investigation,  furnish  full  employment  for  the     | 
most  powerful  mind  ;  and  after  it  is  fully  stored  with   all 
the  productions  of  knowledge,  then  the  intellect  has  to     ; 
employ  its  most   important   functions  in   digesting   and 
arranging  the  vast  and  splendid  materials.     And  if  there 
be  any  thing  in  this  world  which  can  administer  pure  de-     | 
light,  it  is  when  we  summon  our  intellectual  resources,     | 
rally  our  mental  powers,  and  proceed  to  the  investigation 
of  a  subject  distinguished  for  its  importance  and  com- 
plexity, and  its  influence  on  the  destinies  of  man. 

If  science  were  to  assume  a  visible  form,  like  the  fabled 
muses  of  the  ancient  mythology,  all  men  would  be  ready 
to  exclaim  with  the  poet —  ' 

•*  Milton.  t  Spenser. 


PHI    BETA    KAPPA.  359 


Her  angel's  face, 


As  the  great  eye  of  Heaven  shined  bright, 

And  made  a  sunshine  in  a  shady  place  ] 

Did  never  mortal  eye  behold  such  heavenly  grace.* 

But  alas !  it  is  a  blessing  not  without  its  alloy.  Its  seden- 
tary occupations,  and  its  severe  exercises  of  the  mind,  im- 
pair the  health  ;  and  hypochondria,  the  Promethean  vul- 
ture of  the  student,  poisons  for  a  time  all  the  sources  of 
enjoyment.  Add  to  this,  the  tortures  of  hope  deferred, 
and  of  expectation  disappointed.  After  nights  without 
sleep,  and  days  without  repose,  in  the  pursuit  of  a  favorite 
investigation — after  tasking  the  mind,  and  stretching  all 
its  faculties  to  the  utmost  extent  of  exertion,  when  the 
golden  -vision  of  approaching  fame  dazzles  the  eye  in  the 
distance,  and  the  hand  is  extended  to  taste  the  fruit  and 
to  reap  the  harvest,  the  airy  castles,  the  gorgeous  palaces 
of  the  imagination,  vanish  like  enchanted  ground,  and  dis- 
appear like  the  baseless  fabric  of  a  vision. 

From  such  perversities  of  fortune,  the  sunshine  of  com- 
fort may,  however,  be  extracted.  In  the  failure  of  a  scien- 
tific investigation,  collateral  discoveries  of  great  moment 
have  been  made.  And  as  an  eminent  philosopherf  has 
well  remarked,  "  What  succeeds  pleaseth  more,  but  what 
succeeds  not,  many  times  informs  no  less."  And  in  the 
worst  position,  the  mind  is  improved,  sharpened,  expand- 
ed, brightened,  and  strengthened,  by  the  processes  which 
it  has  undergone,  and  the  elaborations  which  it  has  expe- 
rienced. 

We  must  not  then  expect 

A  perpetual  feast  of  nectar'd  sweets, 

Where  no  crude  surfeit  reigns. | 

*  Spenser.  f  Bacon.  %  Milton. 


360  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

But  we  may  confidently  pronounce  that  a  cornucopia  of 
blessings  will  attend  the  diffusion  of  knowledge ;  that  it 
will  have  an  electrifying  effect  on  all  sources  of  individual 
happiness  and  public  prosperity  ;  that  glory  will  follow  in 
the  train  of  its  felicitous  cultivation,  and  that  the  public 
esteem,  in  perennial  dispensation,  will  crown  its  votaries. 

This  State  enjoys  a  temperate  climate  and  a  fruitful 
soil,  and,  situate  between  the  great  lakes  on  the  north 
and  west,  and  the  ocean  on  the  south  and  east,  ought 
always  to  be  the  seat  of  plenty  and  salubrity.  It  requires 
nothing  but  the  enlightened  evolution  of  its  faculties  and 
resources  to  realize  the  beau-ideal  of  perfection ;  and  the 
cooperation  of  man  with  the  bounty  of  Providence  will 
render  it  a  terrestrial  paradise  :  and  this  must  be  effected 
through  the  agency  of  intellectual,  operating  on  physical 
exertion. 

In  this  grand  career  of  mind,  in  this  potent  effort  of 
science,  in  this  illustrious  display  of  patriotism,  contribu- 
tions will  flow  in  from  all  quarters.  The  humble  mite 
will  be  acceptable  as  well  as  the  golden  talent.  And  the 
discriminating,  perspicacious,  and  comprehensive  eye  of 
intellect  will  find 

Tongues  in  trees  :  books  in  the  running  brooks  ; 
Sermons  in  stones;  and  good  in  every  thing* 

Indeed,  the  very  ground  on  which  we  stand  affords 
topics  for  important  consideration  and  useful  application. 
This  city  was  among  the  earliest  seats  of  European  set- 
tlement. It  was  at  the  head  of  a  great  portage,  reaching 
from  the  termination  of  the  navigable  waters  of  the  west 
to  the  head  waters  of  the  Hudson,     It  was  the  great  en- 

*  Shakspeare. 


PHI    BETA    KAPPA.  361 

trepot  of  the  valuable  trade  in  furs  and  peltries,  and  the 
thoroughfare  of  commercial  adventurers,  of  scientific  ex- 
plorations, and  of  military  expeditions.  In  1690,  it  was 
destroyed  by  an  irruption  of  French  and  Indians.  The 
lives  of  many  of  its  inhabitants  were  saved  as  it  were  by  a 
special  interposition  of  Providence  :  and  the  sympathiz- 
ing and  pathetic  speech  of  the  faithful  Mohaws  on  that 
melancholy  occasion,  may  be  ranked  among  the  most 
splendid  effusions  of  oratory.*  The  alluvial  lands  of  the 
river,  rich  as  the  soil  formed  by  the  overflowings  of  the  Nile, 
were  the  principal  residence  of  that  ferocious  and  martial 
race,  the  true  old  heads  of  the  Iroquois — a  confederacy 
which  carried  terror,  havoc,  and  desolation  from  the  Gulf 
of  St.  Lawrence  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  ;  and  which  aspir- 
ed to  universal  empire  over  the  savage  nations.  How  as- 
tonished would  that  people  be,  if  they  could  be  summoned 
to  life,  to  witness  the  flowing  of  the  waters  of  the  west 
through  this  place,  seeking,  in  a  navigable  shape,  a  new 
route  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean — carrying  on  their  bosom  the 
congregated  products  of  nature  and  art,  and  spreading,  as 
they  proceed,  wealth  and  prosperity. 

All  alluvial  ground  formed  by  streams  emanating  from 
a  distance,  and  reinforced  in  their  transit  by  auxiliary  wa- 
ters, must;  he  fertile  not  only  in  soil,  but  abundant  in  the 
various  productions  of  the  vegetable  kingdom.  The  germs 
of  plants  will  be  transported  from  remote  quarters  ;  and 
the  gorges  and  ravines,  formed  in  many  places  by  inter- 
secting streams,  will  not  only  protect  particular  spots 
from  the  ravages  of  the  plow,  but  open  the  treasures  of 
the  mineral  kingdom  by  the  profound  excavations  of  the 
water  and   the   transportation  of  distant  fossils.     Here, 

*  Colden's  History  of  the  Five  Nations. 


362  DE    WITT    CLINTON. 

then,  is  a  proper  region  for  interesting  discovery.  Strange 
trees  now  flourish  on  the  banks  of  the  river ;  many  a 
flower  is  born  to  blush  unseen,  and  many  a  curious  pro- 
duction has  never  undergone  scientific  scrutiny. 

Here  has  been  estabUshed  a  great  seminary  of  educa- 
tion, which  in  less  than  thirty  years  has  risen  to  an  extra- 
ordinary altitude  of  excellence  ;  which  unites  the  ardor  of 
youthful  enthusiasm  with  the  w^isdom  of  experienced  lon- 
gevity, and  the  celebrity  of  confirmed  usefulness,  and 
which,  by  an  able  diffusion  of  the  light  of  knowledge  and 
a  dexterous  management  of  the  helm  of  government,  has 
already  produced  scholars  who  adorn  and  illumine  the 
walks  of  science  and  literature,  the  pursuits  of  profes- 
sional life,  and  the  councils  of  our  country. 

In  this  vicinity  flourished  Sir  William  Johnson,  one  of 
the  extraordinary  characters  of  our  colonial  history.  He 
settled  near  the  banks  of  the  Mohawk,  and  from  humble 
beginnings  he  acquired  great  celebrity,  particularly  in  war; 
immense  wealth,  and  the  favor  of  his  sovereign.  Auspi- 
cious events,  in  concurrence  with  a  paramount  influence 
over  the  Indians,  and  great  energy  of  character,  laid  the 
foundation  and  erected  the  superstructure  of  his  fortunes. 
In  this  place  Hved  and  died  that  eminent  servant  of  God, 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Romcijn,  the  fragrance  of  whose  virtues  is 
still  cherished  in  your  hearts  and  felt  in  your  lives.  His 
venerable  form,  his  dignified  deportment,  his  eye  beam- 
ing goodness,  and  his  voice  uttering  wisdom,  are  still  fresh 
in  your  minds  ;  so  impressive  is  the  power  of  combined 
virtue  and  intelligence.  Dr.  Dwight,  the  greatest  theolo- 
gian of  the  age,  has  pronounced  his  eulogium  ;  and  it  re- 
mains for  biography  to  perform  its  functions,  and  to  fill 
up  the  outlines  so  ably  drawn  by  one  of  the  most  acute 


PHI    BETA    KAPPA.  363 

observers  and  profound  thinkers  which  our  country  has 
produced.* 

Finally,  whatever  may  be  our  thoughts,  our  words,  our 
writings,  or  our  actions,  let  them  all  be  subservient  to  the 
promotion  of  science  and  the  prosperity  of  our  country. 
Pleasure  is  a  shadow,  wealth  is  vanity,  and  power  a  pa- 
geant ;  but  knowledge  is  ecstatic  in  enjoyment,  perennial 
in  fame,  unlimited  in  space,  and  infinite  in  duration.     In 
the  performance  of  its  sacred  offices,  it  fears  no  danger, 
spares  no  expense,  omits  no  exertion.     It  scales  the  moun- 
tains, looks  into  the  volcano,  dives  into  the  ocean,  perfo- 
rates the  earth,  wings  its  flight  into  the  skies,  encircles  the 
globe,  explores  sea  and   land,  contemplates  the  distant, 
examines  the  minute,  comprehends  the  great,  and  ascends 
the  sublime.     No  place  too  remote  for  its  grasp — no  hea- 
vens too  exalted  for  its  reach,     "  Its  seat  is  the  bosom  of 
God — its  voice  the  harmony  of  the  world.     All  things  in 
Heaven  and  earth  do  it  homage — the  very  least  as  feeling 
its  care,  and  the  greatest  as  not  exempt  from  its  power. 
Both  angels,  and  men,  and  creatures,  of  what  condition 
soever,  though  each  in  diflerent  sort  and  manner,  yet  all 
with  uniform  consent,  admiring  it  as  the  parent  of  peace 
and  happiness."! 

'  Dwight's  Travels.  t  Hooker. 


APPENDIX,  NO.  1. 


(From  Smith's  History  of  New  York,  page  46.) 

Monsieur  De  La  Barre''s  Speech,  addressed  to  Garangula,  an 
Onondaga  Chief,  the  Indians  and  French  officers  at  the  same 
time  forming  a  circle  round  about  him. 

"  The  king,  my  master,  being  informed  that  the  Five  Nations 
have  often  infringed  the  peace,  has  ordered  me  to  come  hither 
with  a  guard,  and  to  send  Ohguesse  to  the  Onondagas,  to  bring 
the  chief  sachems  to  my  camp.  The  intention  of  the  great  king 
is,  that  you  and  I  may  smoke  the  calumet  of  peace  together ; 
but  on  this  condition,  that  you  promise  me,  in  the  name  of  the 
Senecas,  Cayugas,  Onondagas,  and  Mohawks,  to  give  entire 
satisfaction  and  reparation  to  his  subjects,  and  for  the  future 
never  to  molest  them. 

"  The  Senecas,  Cayugas,  Onondagas,  Oneidas,  and  Mohawks, 
have  robbed  and  abused  all  the  traders  that  were  passing  to  the 
Illinois  and  Miamies,  and  other  Indian  nations,  the  children  of 
my  king ;  they  have  acted,  on  these  occasions,  contrary  to  the 
treaty  of  peace  with  my  predecessor.  I  am  ordered,  therefore, 
to  demand  satisfaction ;  and  to  tell  them,  that  in  case  of  refusal, 
or  their  plundering  us  any  more,  that  I  have  express  orders  to 
declare  war.  This  belt  confirms  my  words.  The  warriors  of 
the  Five  Nations  have  conducted  the  English  into  the  lakes, 
which  belong  to  the  king,  my  master,  and  brought  the  English 
among  the  nations  that  are  his  children  to  destroy  the  trade  of 


366  APPENDIX. 

his  subjects,  and  to  witlidraw  these  nations  from  him.  They 
have  carried  the  English  thither,  notwithstanding  the  prohibi- 
tion of  the  late  Governor  of  New  York,  who  foresaw  the  risk 
that  both  they  and  you  would  run.  I  am  willing  to  forget  those 
things  ;  but  if  ever  the  like  should  happen  for  the  future,  I  have 
express  orders  to  declare  war  against  you.  This  belt  confirms 
my  words.  Your  warriors  have  made  several  barbarous  incur- 
sions on  the  Illinois  and  Miamies.  They  have  massacred  men, 
women,  and  children ;  they  have  made  many  of  these  nations 
prisoners,  who  thought  themselves  safe  in  their  villages  in  time 
of  peace.  These  people,  who  are  my  king's  children,  must  not 
be  your  slaves :  you  must  give  them  their  liberty,  and  send  them 
back  into  their  own  country.  If  the  Five  Nations  shall  refuse 
to  do  this,  I  have  express  orders  to  declare  war  against  them. 
This  belt  confirms  my  words. 

"  This  is  what  I  have  to  say  to  Garangula,  that  he  may  carry 
to  the  Senecas,  Onondagas,  Oneidas,  Cayugas,  and  Mohawks, 
the  declaration  which  the  king,  my  master,  has  commanded  me 
to  make.  He  doth  not  wish  them  to  force  him  to  send  a  great 
army  to  Cadarackui  Fort,  to  begin  a  war,  which  must  be  fatal  to 
them.  He  would  be  sorry  that  this  fort,  that  was  the  work  of 
peace,  should  become  the  prison  of  your  warriors.  We  must 
endeavor  on  both  sides  to  prevent  such  misfortunes.  The 
French,  who  are  the  brethren  and  friends  of  the  Five  Nations, 
will  never  trouble  their  repose,  provided  that  the  satisfaction 
which  I  demand  be  given  ;  and  that  the  treaties  of  peace  be 
hereafter  observed.  I  shall  be  extremely  grieved  if  my  words 
do  not  produce  the  effect  which  I  expect  from  them  ;  for  then  I 
shall  be  obliged  to  join  with  the  Governor  of  New  York,  who  is 
commanded  by  his  master  to  assist  me,  and  burn  the  castles  of 
the  Five  Nations,  and  destroy  you.  This  belt  confirms  ray 
words." 

Garangula,  after  walking  five  or  six  times  round  the  circle. 


APPENDIX.  367 

answered  the  Frencli  Governor,  who  sat  in  an  elbow  chair,  in 
the  following  strain : 

"  YONNONDIO, 

"  I  honor  you,  and  the  warriors  that  are  with  me  ^likewise 
honor  you.  Your  interpreter  has  finished  your  speech  :  I  now 
begin  mine.  My  words  make  haste  to  reach  your  ears ;  hearken 
to  them. 

"  Yonnondio,  you  must  have  believed,  when  you  left  Quebec, 
that  the  sun  had  burnt  up  all  the  forests  which  render  our  coun- 
try inaccessible  to  the  French,  or  that  the  lakes  had  so  far 
overflown  the  banks  that  they  had  surrounded  our  castles,  and 
that  it  was  impossible  for  us  to  get  out  of  them.  Yes,  Yonnon- 
dio, surely  you  must  have  dreamt  so  ;  and  the  curiosity  of  see- 
ing so  great  a  wonder  has  brought  you  so  far.  Now  you  are 
undeceived,  since  that  I  and  the  warriors  here  present,  are  come 
to  assure  you  that  the  Senecas,  Cayugas,  Onondagas,  Oneidas, 
and  Mohawks,  are  yet  alive.  I  thank  you  in  their  name  for 
bringing  back  into  their  country  the  calumet  which  your  prede- 
cessor received  from  their  hands.  It  was  happy  for  you  that 
you  left  under  ground  that  murdering  hatchet  which  has  been  so 
often  dyed  in  the  blood  of  the  French.  Hear,  Yonnondio  :  I  do 
not  sleep ;  I  have  my  eyes  open,  and  the  sun  which  enlightens 
me,  discovers  to  me  a  great  captain  at  the  head  of  a  company 
of  soldiers,  who  speaks  as  if  he  were  dreaming.  He  says  that 
he  only  came  to  the  lake  to  smoke  on  the  great  calumet  with 
the  Onondagas ;  but  Garangula  says  that  he  sees  the  contrary ; 
that  it  was  to  knock  them  on  the  head  if  sickness  had  not  weak- 
ened the  arms  of  the  French. 

"  I  see  Yonnondio  raving  in  a  camp  of  sick  men,  whose  lives 
the  Great  Spirit  has  saved  by  inflicting  this  sickness  on  them. 
Hear,  Yonnondio  :  our  women  had  taken  their  clubs,  our  child- 
ren and  old  men  had  carried  their  bows  and  arrows  into  the 
heart  of  your  camp,  if  our  warriors  had  not  disarmed  them,  and 


368  APPENDIX. 

kept  them  back,  when  your  messenger  Ohguesse  came  to  our 
castles.  It  is  done,  and  I  have  said  it.  Hear,  Yonnondio :  we 
plundered  none  of  the  French  but  those  that  carried  guns,  pow- 
der, and  ball  to  the  Twightwies  and  Chictaghicks,  because  those 
arms  might  have  cost  us  our  lives.  Herein  we  follow  the  ex- 
example  of  the  Jesuits,  who  stove  all  the  kegs  of  rum  brought  to 
our  castles,  lest  the  drunken  Indians  should  knock  them  on  the 
head.  Our  warriors  have  not  beaver  enough  to  pay  for  all  these 
arms  that  they  have  taken  ;  and  our  old  men  are  not  afraid  of 
the  war.     This  belt  preserves  my  words. 

"  We  carried  the  English  into  our  lakes  to  trade  there  with 
the  Utawawas  and  Quatoghies  as  the  Andirondacks  brought  the 
French  to  our  castles  to  carry  on  a  trade,  which  the  English  say 
is  theirs.  We  are  born  free.  We  neither  depend  on  Yonnon- 
dio nor  Corlear. 

"  We  may  go  where  we  please,  and  carry  with  us  whom  we 
please.  If  your  allies  be  your  slaves,  use  them  as  such.  Com- 
mand them  to  receive  no  other  but  your  people.  This  belt 
preserves  my  words. 

"  We  knocked  the  Twightwies  and  Chictaghicks  on  the  head 
because  they  had  cut  down  the  trees  of  peace  which  were  the 
limits  of  our  country.  They  had  hunted  beavers  on  our  land. 
They  had  acted  contrary  to  the  customs  of  all  Indians  ;  for  they 
left  none  of  the  beavers  alive  :  they  killed  both  male  and  female. 
They  brought  the  Satanas  into  the  country  to  take  part  with 
them,  after  they  had  concerted  ill  designs  against  us.  We  have 
done  less  than  either  the  English  or  French,  that  have  usurped 
the  lands  of  so  many  Indian  nations,  and  chased  them  from  their 
own  country.     This  belt  preserves  my  words. 

Hear,  Yonnondio  ;  what  I  say  is  the  voice  of  all  the  Five 
Nations :  hear  what  they  answer.  Open  your  ears  to  what 
they  speak.  The  Senecas,  Cayugas,  Onondagas,  Oneidas,  and 
the  Mohawks  say,  that  when  they  buried  the  hatchet  at  Cada- 
rackui  (in  the  presence  of  your  predecessor)  in  the  middle  of 


APPENDIX.  369 

the  fort,  they  planted  the  tree  of  peace  iu  the  same  place,  to  be 
there  carefully  preserved,  that  in  place  of  a  retreat  for  soldiers, 
that  fort  might  be  a  rendezvous  for  merchants  ;  that  in  place  of 
arms  and  ammunition  of  war,  beavers  and  merchandize  should 
only  enter  there. 

"  Hear,  Yonnondio :  take  care  for  the  future,  that  so  great 
a  number  of  soldiers  as  appear  there,  do  not  choke  the  tree 
of  peace  planted  in  so  small  a  fort.  It  will  be  a  great  loss  if 
after  it  had  so  easily  taken  root  you  should  stop  its  growth,  and 
prevent  its  covering  your  country  and  ours  with  its  branches. 
I  assure  you,  in  the  name  of  the  Five  Nations,  that  our  warriors 
shall  dance  to  the  calumet  of  peace  under  its  leaves,  and  shall 
remain  quiet  on  their  mats,  and  shall  never  dig  up  the  hatchet 
tiU  their  brother  Yonnondio,  or  Corlear,  shall,  either  jointly  or 
separately,  endeavor  to  attack  the  country  which  the  Great 
Spirit  has  given  to  our  ancestors.  This  belt  preserves  my  words  ; 
and  this  other,  the  authority  which  the  Five  Nations  have  given 
me." 

Then  Garangula,  addressing  himself  to  Monsieur  La  Main, 
said:  "  Take  courage,  Ohguesse  ;  you  have  spirit,  speak — ex- 
plain my  words ;  forget  nothing ;  tell  all  that  your  brethren 
and  friends  say  to  Yonnondio,  your  governor,  by  the  mouth  of 
Garangula,  who  loves  you,  and  desires  you  to  accept  of  this 
present  of  beaver,  and  take  part  with  me  in  my  feast,  to  which  I 
invite  you.  This  present  of  beaver  is  sent  to  Yonnondio  on  the 
part  of  the  Five  Nations. 


24 


APPENDIX,  NO.   II. 


Speech  of  the  Mohawk  Chiefs  to  the  Magistrates  of  Albany^  on 
the  25th  of  March,  1689-90,  after  the  destruction  of  Sche- 
nectady. 

"  Brethren, 

"  The  murder  of  our  brethren  at  Schenectady,  by  the 
French,  grieves  us  as  much  as  if  it  had  been  done  to  ourselves, 
for  we  are  in  the  same  chain  ;  and  no  doubt  our  brethren  of 
New  England  will  be  likewise  sadly  affected  with  this  cruel 
action  of  the  French.  The  French  on  this  occasion  have  not 
acted  like  brave  men,  but  like  thieves  and  robbers.  Be  not 
therefore  discouraged.  We  give  this  belt  to  wipe  away  your 
tears. 

"  Brethren, 

"  We  lament  the  death  of  so  many  of  our  brethren,  whose 
blood  has  been  shed  at  Schenectady.  We  don't  think  that 
what  the  French  have  done  can  be  called  a  victory,  it  is  only  a 
farther  proof  of  their  cruel  deceit.  The  governor  of  Canada 
sends  to  Onondaga,  and  talks  to  us  of  peace  with  our  whole 
house  ;  but  war  was  in  his  heart,  as  you  may  now  see  by  woeful 
experience.  He  did  the  same  formerly  at  Cadaracui,  and  in 
the  Senecas  country.  This  is  the  third  time  he  has  acted  so 
deceitfully.  He  has  broken  open  our  house  at  both  ends,  formerly 
in  the  Senecas  country,  and  now  here.  We  hope,  however,  to  be 
revenged  of  them.     One  hundred  of  our  bravest  young  men  are 


APPENDIX.  371 

in  pursuit  of  them  :  they  are  brisk  fellows,  and  they  will  follow 
the  French  to  their  doors.  We  will  beset  them  so  closely  that 
not  a  man  in  Canada  shall  dare  to  step  out  of  doors  to  cut  a 
stick  of  wood ;  but  now  we  gather  up  our  dead  to  bury  them,  by 
this  second  belt. 

"  Brethren, 

"  We  came  from  our  castles  with  tears  in  our  eyes,  to  be- 
moan the  blood  shed  at  Schenectady  by  the  perfidious  French. 
While  we  bury  our  dead  murdered  at  Schenectady  we  know 
not  what  may  have  befallen  our  own  people,  that  are  in  pursuit 
of  the  enemy  :  they  may  be  dead.  What  has  befallen  you,  may 
happen  to  us  ;  and  therefore  we  come  to  bury  our  brethren  at 
Schenectady  with  this  third  belt. 

"  Great  and  sudden  is  the  mischief,  as  if  it  had  fallen  from 
Heaven  upon  us.  Our  forefathers  taught  us  to  go  with  all 
speed  to  bemoan  and  lament  with  our  brethren,  when  any  dis- 
aster or  misfortune  happens  to  any  in  our  chain.  Take  this 
belt  of  vigilance,  that  you  may  be  more  watchful  for  the  future. 
We  give  our  brethren  eye-water,  to  make  them  sharp -sighted. 
(Giving  a  fourth  belt.) 

"  We  now  come  to  the  house  where  we  usually  renew  the 
chain ;  but  alas !  we  find  the  house  polluted  with  blood.  All 
the  Five  Nations  have  heard  of  this,  and  we  are  come  to  wipe 
away  the  blood  and  clean  the  house.  We  come  to  invite  Cor- 
lear,  and  every  one  of  you,  and  Quider,  (calling  to  every  one 
of  the  principal  men  present  by  their  names)  to  be  revenged  of 
the  enemy  by  this  fifth  belt. 

"  Brethren, 

"  Be  not  discouraged ;  we  are  strong  enough.  This  is  the 
beginning  of  your  war,  and  the  whole  house  have  their  eyes 
fixed  upon  you  at  this  time,  to  observe  your  behavior.     They 


372  APPENDIX. 

wait  your  motion,  and  are  ready  to  join  in  any  resolute  mea- 
sures. 

"  Our  ctain  is  a  strong  chain  ;  it  is  a  silver  chain  ;  it  can 
neither  rust  nor  be  broken.  We,  as  to  our  parts,  are  resolute 
to  continue  the  war. 

"  We  will  never  desist,  so  long  as  a  man  of  us  remains.  Take 
heart ;  do  not  pack  up  and  go  away  ;*  this  will  give  heart  to  a 
dastardly  enemy.  We  are  of  the  race  of  the  bear  ;  and  a  bear, 
you  know,  never  yields  while  one  drop  of  blood  is  left.  We 
must  all  be  bears.     (Giving  a  sixth  belt.) 

"  Brethren, 

"  Be  patient  5  this  disaster  is  an  affliction  which  has  fallen 
from  Heaven  upon  us.  The  sun,  which  hath  been  cloudy,  and 
sent  this  disaster,  will  shine  again  with  its  pleasant  beams. 
Take  courage,  courage — (Repeating  the  word  several  times  as 
they  gave  a  seventh  belt.) 

( To  the  English.) 
"  Brethren, 

"  Three  years  ago  we  were  engaged  in  a  bloody  war  with  the 
French,  and  you  encouraged  us  to  proceed  in  it.  Our  success 
answered  our  expectation  ;  but  we  were  not  well  begun  when 
Corlear  stopped  us  from  going  on.  Had  you  permitted  us  to  go 
on,  the  French  would  not  now  have  been  able  to  do  us  the  mis- 
chief they  have  done — we  would  have  prevented  their  sowing, 
planting,  or  reaping. 

"  We  would  have  humbled  them  effectually,  but  now  we  die. 
The  obstructions  you  then  made  now  ruin  us.  Let  us  after  this 
be  steady,  and  take  no  such  false  measures  for  the  future,  but 
prosecute  the  war  vigorously.     (Giving  a  beaver  skin.) 

"  The  brethren  must  keep  good  watch,  and  if  the  enemy 

*  This  was  spoken  to  the  English,  who  were  about  removing  from 
Albany. 


APPENDIX.  373 

come  again,  send  more  speedily  to  us.  Don't  desert  Schenecta- 
dy. The  enemy  will  glory  in  seeing  it  desolate.  It  will  give 
them  courage  that  had  none  before.  Fortify  the  place  ;  it  is 
not  well  fortified  now  ;  the  stockadoes  are  too  short ;  the  Indians 
can  jump  over  them.     (Gave  a  beaver  skin.) 

"  Brethren, 

"  The  mischief  done  at  Schenectady  cannot  be  helped  now ; 
but  for  the  future,  when  the  enemy  appears  any  where,  let  no- 
thing hinder  your  sending  to  us  by  expresses,  and  fire  great  guns, 
that  all  may  be  alarmed.  We  advise  you  to  bring  all  the  River 
Indians  under  your  subjection,  to  live  near  Albany,  to  be  ready 
on  all  occasions. 

"  Send  to  New  England ;  tell  them  what  has  happened  to 
you. .  They  will  undoubtedly  awake,  and  lend  us  their  helping 
hand.  It  is  their  interest,  as  much  as  ours,  to  push  the  war  to 
a  speedy  conclusion.  Be  not  discouraged  ;  the  French  are  not 
so  numerous  as  some  people  talk.  If  we  but  heartily  unite  to 
push  on  the  war,  and  mind  our  business,  the  French  will  soon 
be  subdued." 

The  magistrates  havino;  returned  an  answer  on  the  27th, 
to  the  satisfaction  of  the  Indians,  they  repeated  it  aU  over, 
word  by  word,  to  let  the  magistrates  see  how  carefully  they 
minded,  and  then  added  : 

"  Brethren, 

"  We  are  glad  to  find  you  are  not  discouraged.  The  best  and 
wisest  men  sometimes  make  mistakes.  Let  us  now  pursue  the 
war  vigorously.  We  have  a  hundred  men  out ;  they  are  good 
scouts.  We  expect  to  meet  all  the  sachems  of  the  other  na- 
tions, as  they  come  to  condole  with  you.  You  need  not  fear  our 
being  ready  at  the  first  notice.  Our  ax  is  always  in  our  hands  ; 
but  take  care  that  you  be  timely  ready.     Your  ships,  that  must 


374  APPEN'DIX. 

do  the  principal  work,  are  long  a  fitting  out.  We  do  not  design 
to  go  out  with  a  small  company,  or  in  skulking  parties  ;  but  as 
soon  as  the  nations  can  meet,  we  shall  be  ready  with  our  whole 
force.  If  you  would  bring  this  war  to  a  happy  issue,  you  must 
begin  soon,  before  the  French  can  recover  the  losses  they  have 
received  from  us,  and  get  new  vigor  and  life  ;  therefore  send  in 
all  haste  to  New  England.  Neither  you  nor  we  can  continue 
long  in  the  condition  we  are  now  in  :  we  must  order  matters  so 
that  the  French  be  kept  in  continual  fear  and  alarm  at  home  ; 
for  this  is  the  only  way  to  be  secure,  and  in  peace  here. 

"  The  Scatikok  Indians,  in  our  opinion,  are  well  placed  where 
they  are  (to  the  northward  of  Albany ;)  they  are  a  good  out-guard ; 
they  are  our  children,  and  we  must  take  care  that  they  do  their 
duty  :  but  you  must  take  care  of  the  Indians  below  the  town  ; 
place  them  near  the  town,  so  as  they  may  be  of  more  service  to 
you." 


APPENDIX,   NO.   Ill 


Substance  of  the  Speech  of  Good  Peter  to  Governor  Clinton 
and  the  Commissioners  of  Indian  Affairs,  at  Albany,  on  the 
occasion  referred  to  in  the  discourse. 

Brother  governor  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  all  the  other 
great  chiefs  of  the  State  of  New  York,  open  your  ears,  and  all 
you  chiefs  of  the  Five  Nations  here  assembled,  open  your  ears. 

The  business  we  have  now  met  about  is  of  the  greatest  im- 
portance ;  how  happy  must  we  all  be  if  we  can  arrange  it  for 
our  mutual  good. 

We  have  this  day  assembled,  and  smoked  our  pipes  in  peace. 
That  you  may  know  the  reason  of  my  addressing  you,  I  would 
inform  you  that  my  brethren,  the  Cayugas,  and  my  children, 
the  Senecas,  requested  me  to  be  their  mouth  on  this  solemn  oc- 
casion, and  understanding  that  it  is  agreeable  to  the  great  chief 
of  New  York,  I  now  stand  here.  You  will  possess  your  minds 
in  peace,  for  I  have  no  disposition  to  oppose  you  in  any  respect, 
but  shall  move  forward  in  the  strait  path. 

Brother  Chief, 

In  the  first  place,  I  would  inform  you  that  last  Spring  we  were 
invited  to  a  treaty  at  Muskingum — where  your  voice  also  called 
upon  us  to  attend  :  some  of  our  nation  went  there,  and  have  not 
yet  returned. 

When  our  uncles,  the  chiefs,  left  our  council-fire,  their  only 


376  APPENDIX. 

business  at  Muskingum  was  the  establishment  of  a  good  peace. 
This  mission  was  agreeable  to  us  all — even  the  warriors  ;  for  al- 
though the  clouds  blacken  in  the  south,  and  the  winds  sometimes 
blow,  yet  as  long  as  our  sachems  labor  for  a  peace,  the  minds  of 
our  young  men  are  composed. 

This,  great  chief,  I  only  observe,  to  open  the  way  for  what  is 
to  follow.  Shortly  after,  the  cloud  from  the  south  began  to 
rise  ;  we  again  saw  the  effulgence  of  the  sun  ;  but  as  soon  as 
we  saw  it,  an  evil  spirit  commenced  its  work,  threatening  the 
annihilation  of  our  territory. 

Brother  Governor, 

Althouf^h  I  observed  to  you  that  an  evil  spu-it  had  invaded 
our  peace,  yet  do  not  suppose  that  the  Five  Nations  were  dis- 
posed to  cherish  this  enemy  ;  we  were  deceived  :  we  believed  it 
to  be  a  good  spirit,  sent  by  the  great  council  of  the  State,  and 
we  thought  that  we  should  not  injure  ourselves  by  opening  our 
ears  to  their  voice.  This  was  indeed  new  to  us,  for  never  be- 
fore had  the  Five  Nations  such  a  meeting  with  any  of  our 
brethren  of  this  island.  We  had  invariably  conferred  together 
according  to  ancient  and  settled  usage. 

It  would  be  tedious  to  go  into  detail,  and  state  at  large  the 
means  by  which  we  were  misled.  We  cannot  see  but  a  small 
depth  into  the  heart  of  man,  and  can  only  discover  the  work  of 
his  tongue.  It  appears  that  you  then  sensibly  sympathized 
with  us  in  our  situation,  and  looking  back  to  ancient  times,  en- 
deavored to  discover  a  method  of  recovering  our  sinking  terri- 
tory. 

Soon  after  this  the  Oneida  nation  heard  your  voice.  Although 
it  was  small  at  first,  yet  it  gave  us  life  to  find  that  you  would 
extend  your  arm  and  save  our  country.  It  informed  us  that 
you  would  kindle  a  council  fire  at  Fort  Stanwix,  inform  us  of 
our  situation,  and  relieve  us  of  our  difficulties.  It  also  directed 
us  to  send  it  on  to  the  other  nations — which  we  did.     At  the 


APPENDIX.  377 

council  fire  at  Fort  Stanwix,  but  one  nation,  the  Onondafas, 
attended  ;  there  was  a  strange  bird  that  flew  about  your  voice, 
and  related  strange  stories.  This  bird  kept  flying  about  whilo 
you  held  this  council  fire.  After  your  patience  had  been  ex- 
hausted in  waiting  several  days,  you  then  determined  to  take 
us,  one  by  one,  as  we  came  to  the  council  fire — and  with  this 
we  were  content. 

When  you  had  finished  with  the  Onondagas,  you  then  showed 
the  agreement  to  us,  the  Oneidas,  pointed  out  the  true  path, 
and  opened  our  eyes.  We  then  comprehended  your  sentiments 
as  they  were  laid  before  us.  You  raised  us  from  sinking  into 
an  unfathomable  gulph,  and  placed  us  on  a  high  mountain  ;  you 
erected  a  fortification  around  us,  so  that  no  evil  spirits  or 
strange  birds  could  fly  over  and  disturb  us ;  you  completed  an 
agreement  to  our  mutual  satisfaction :  it  is  firm  and  unalter- 
able— no  evil  spirit  shall  be  able  to  erase  the  lines.  We  are 
now  fixed,  and  dwell  in  peace. 

I  need  not  enlarge  upon  the  council  at  Fort  Stanwix,  and  the 
proceedings  at  that  place.  You  remember  you  saw  a  few 
Senecas  there.  You  welcomed  them.,  although  they  were 
neither  invited,  nor  sachems,  but  little  children  ;  they  then  told 
you  with  what  difficulty  they  leaped  over  the  mound  at  Cana- 
sake. 

You  also  remember,  that  when  those  Seneca  young  men  left 
you,  you  gave  them  good  advice.  As  your  patience  was  not 
yet  exhausted,  and  your  love  for  the  Five  Nations  continued  in 
full  force,  you  invited  the  Senecas,  through  them,  to  meet  you 
at  Albany  this  winter,  to  consult  upon  subjects  connected  with 
their  welfare.  You  also  requested  their  attendance  from  the 
remotest  parts  of  the  nation  They  again  heard  your  voice  : 
you  opened  their  eyes,  and  it  pierced  them  to  the  heart  to  see 
their  territory  sinking,  and  that  by  and  by  the  warriors  would 
not  be  at  liberty  to  hunt  upon  their  land,  and  to  provide  for 
their  women  and  children. 


378  APPENDIX. 

Soon  after  this,  the  headmen  and  warriors  deliberated  on 
our  message,  and  determined  that  it  would  be  for  the  good  of  the 
Five  Nations,  and  prevent  our  utter  destruction  to  repair  to 
this  place.  Although  some  of  our  sachems  have  not  returned 
from  the  southward,  yet  we  are  persuaded  that  our  deliberations 
and  proceedings  will  meet  their  approbation. 

After  frequent  conferences  with  our  brethren,  the  Senecas, 
we  determined  to  repair  to  this  ancient  council  fire  ;  we  thought 
it  agreeable  to  ancient  usage  to  take  with  us  two  brothers  of 
the  Onondagas  and  Oneidas,  as  witnesses,  to  this  place,  where 
our  ancestors  kindled  their  council  fires,  the  smoke  of  which 
reached  the  heavens,  and  round  which  they  sat  and  talked  of 
peace.  I  observed  at  first,  that  I  should  only  touch  upon  one 
event  after  another.  But  need  I  call  your  attention  to  the 
councils  and  treaties  held  here  by  your  and  our  forefathers. 
They  then  had  but  one  head  and  one  heart ;  the  chain  of  friend- 
ship was  made  of  silver,  so  that  it  could  not  rust.  Our  ances- 
tors, you  know,  frequently  met  to  brighten  this  chain,  with  a 
design  to  see  whether  any  evil  spirit,  that  disturbs  the  peace  of 
brethren,  shook  at  it  or  sat  upon  it. 

But  I  must  leave  this  pleasant  subject,  the  paths  of  our 
ancestors.  You  have  seen  some  of  our  brethren  of  the  Five 
Nations,  the  Cayugas ;  you  have  opened  your  mind,  and  en- 
couraged us  to  believe  that  you  can  save  our  sinking  country ; 
and  that  if  any  of  your  people  have  overleaped  the  bounds 
prescribed,  you  can  erase  the  lines.  This  has  given  us  great 
encouragement  and  universal  pleasure. 

Brother  Governor, 

The  Cayugas  and  Senecas  here  present,  thank  you  from  the 
bottom  of  our  hearts,  that  you  have  communicated  freely  with 
us.  When  we  heard  your  first  and  second  voice  we  were  glad ; 
but  now  we  are  quite  rejoiced.  It  convinces  us  that  you 
remembered  and  cherished  the  treaties  between  you  and  our 


APPENDIX.  379 

forefatliers.  The  great  spirit  gave  our  ancestors  and  us  this 
island,  and  we  know  that  you  are  anxious  to  promote  his  design 
that  we  should  have  a  place  whereon  to  live.  We  love  our 
country,  and  our  fathers  loved  their  country. 

We  said  we  were  glad  to  meet  you  and  hear  your  voice,  and 
to  feel  assured  that  you  are  able  to  save  our  sinking  territory  : 
we  now  put  it  all  under  your  power  :  put  your  hands  over  the 
whole,  reserving  to  us  such  a  dish  as  you  shall  prescribe  for  us. 
This  is  perfectly  agreeable  to  the  usages  of  our  ancestors,  who 
loved  peace,  and  loved  their  land  ;  and  why }  because  they 
loved  their  women  and  their  children ;  and  while  they  loved 
peace  and  their  land  they  enjoyed  happy  days. 

We  repeat  that  we  rejoice  in  this  meeting  and  in  these  pro- 
ceedings. Those  we  have  left  behind,  and  those  that  will  retm-n 
from  the  south,  will  also  rejoice  at  the  result  of  our  conferences. 
Our  little  ones  can  now  look  with  pleasure  for  fish  in  the 
streams,  and  our  warriors  can  hunt  for  wild  beasts  in  the  woods, 
and  feel  confident  that  they  will  not  be  driven  from  their 
country.     (A  string  of  black  wampum  with  six  rows.) 

Brother, 

I  have  repeatedly  said  that  I  was  glad  to  hear  your  mind  ; 
your  words  have  sunk  deep  into  my  heart,  and  have  raised  up 
my  land  and  country,  that  were  about  to  sink.  I  entreat  you, 
by  this  string,  to  keep  firm  to  your  word,  and  to  reach  out  your 
hand  over  my  country.  Our  dish  we  will  reserve.  This  trans- 
action will  rejoice  not  only  our  absent  friends,  but  our  children's 
children,  to  the  latest  generation.  They  will  declare,  with  joy, 
that  Aquilanda,*  the  governor  of  New  York,  has  rescued  their 
country  from  destruction.  (A  string  of  white  wampum  with  six 
rows.) 

*  An  Indian  name  given  to  Governor  Clinton,  wliich  signifies  rising 
sum,. 


380 


APPENDIX. 


You  have  heard  our  voice  ;  we  now  entreat  you  to  open  your 
ears,  and  hear  a  speech  from  our  sisters,  the  governesses. 

Brother, 

Our  ancestors  considered  it  a  great  offence  to  reject  the  coun- 
sels of  their  women,  particularly  of  the  female  governesses. 
They  were  esteemed  the  mistresses  of  the  soil.  Who,  said  our 
forefathers,  bring  us  into  being.  Who  cultivate  our  lands, 
kindle  our  fires,  and  boil  our  pots,  but  the  women .? 

Our  women  say,  that  they  are  apprehensive  their  uncles  have 
lost  the  power  of  hunting,  as  they  were  about  destroying  their 
country  ;  but  they  take  this  opportunity  of  thanking  you  for 
preventing  their  fall  down  the  precipice  to  which  their  uncles 
had  brought  them. 

They  entreat  that  the  veneration  of  their  ancestors,  in  favor 
of  women,  be  not  disregarded,  and  that  they  may  not  be  de- 
spised :  the  Great  Spirit  is  their  maker. 

The  female  governesses  beg  leave  to  speak  with  that  freedom 
allowed  to  women,  and  agreeable  to  the  spirit  of  our  ancestors. 
They  entreat  the  great  chief  to  put  forth  his  strength  and  pre- 
serve them  in  peace  ;  for  they  are  the  life  of  the  nation  ;  your 
power  cannot  be  disputed.  Those  that  disturb  them  are  your 
subjects,  and  you  can  punish  them.  They  rejoice  that  while 
their  counsellors  are  settling  a  peace  at  Muskingum,  and  you 
are  here  laboring  for  their  good,  tranquillity  will  spread  over  the 
whole  country.      (Six  strings  of  wampum.) 

Then  Good  Peter  added  : 

Brother, 

Possess  your  mind  in  peace.  You  are  sensible  that  in  affairs 
of  importance  omissions  may  be  made,  and  that  a  person  is  al- 
lowed afterward  to  correct  them. 

You  have  greatly  encouraged  us,  by  promising  to  watch  over 


APPENDIX.  381 

our  peace,  and  to  provide  for  our  welfare.  It  is  probable  that 
when  we  have  completed  our  business  here,  some  bad  men  may 
break  over  the  fence  you  have  set  around  us.  There  are, 
excuse  us  brother,  some  bad  men  among  the  white  people 
of  this  island  ;  they  may  not  hear  your  voice  as  far  as  our  coun- 
try :  we  therefore  propose  that  Peter  Ryckman,  our  child,  may 
live  among  us  in  your  behalf,  look  at  our  affairs,  and  watch  over 

our  interests. 

• 

You  have  now  heard  our  minds,  and  the  resolutions  we  had 
formed  before  we  left  our  country.  I  only  act  here  as  an  agent, 
by  the  request  of  my  brothers,  the  Cayugas,  and  I  am  now  re- 
leased from  my  engagements. 


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DUE  DATE 


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